i 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, i 






# UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, i 



REJOINDER 



TO 



I. W. Allen's Pseudo "History" 



OF 



ANTIOOH COLLEGE. 



... 



YELLOW SPRINGS, O. 
LONGLEY BROTHERS, PRINTERS: 
CINCINNATI. 
1859. 



# 

y 



INTRODUCTION. 



Those who have read Mr. I. W. Allen's book, which 
claims to be a truthful "History" of Antioch College, 
have been looking for a reply to it or a denial of it, in 
some form. They have said, "If Mr. Allen's charges are 
not true, why do not the friends of the College refute 
them?" To this question there are at least four reasons, 
viz : 

1. It was at once seen to be impossible to reply to all 
of Mr. Allen's false statements and colorings and cruel 
insinuations, without making a volume too large to se- 
cure a general perusal, and there was no one acquainted 
with the facts in the case, who had leisure to devote to their 
compilation. Our circumstances, in this respect, are 
widely different from those of the writer of the book. 
He devoted his entire time and energies, for more than a 
year and a quarter, to the compilation of his work and 
other collateral labors, having no other business, using 
notes which he seems to have been taking for four years 
before with the same sinister design, fabricating false- 
hoods where it was necessary to his purpose, and, in 
other cases, warping the truth, or putting it in false 
settings ; while, on the other hand, the Faculty of the 
College have, for the last two years, been greatly en- 
grossed with the load of duties which have devolved upon 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

them, and I have devoted all my time to its redemption ; 
so there was no one who knew the facts in their chrono- 
logical order, and in their relations to each other, who 
had an hour to spare. 

2. There are hundreds in all sections of the country 
who know that Mr. Allen's course is grossly inconsistent. 
He had been through Ohio, New- York and New-Eng- 
land, representing himself as an abused and insulted 
man, because he was not re-appointed to his Chair. He 
labored with me personally, as a member of the com- 
mittee appointed to employ a Faculty, to secure his re- 
appointment, after he knew that Mr. Mann was to be its 
head; and the readers of the Gospel Herald will distinctly 
remember that he and his friends were very indignant, 
because the committee refused to re-appoint him. Yet he 
represents Mr. Mann as the unprincipled, and ever success- 
ful manager of all the College affairs, a man who stops not 
a moment at falsehood and perfidy, when his own pur- 
poses are to be served. He says virtually, and in almost 
so many words, that Mr. Mann was so completely want- 
ing in veracity and common honesty, that the characters 
of the Professors were constantly in danger, and that 
those who did not bow to his behests were liable to be 
removed on the simplest pretext and on the shortest notice. 
Indeed, the book abounds not only with low insinuations, 
intended to disparage Mr. Mann, but also with the bold- 
est and strongest accusations against him. He also rep- 
resents that the whole Faculty, except himself and Mr. 
Doherty, and almost the whole Board of Trustees, went 
over to Mr. Mann's interests, and became his tools. 

Now the friends of the College have supposed that the 
intelligent reader would put that and that together, and 
ask the very pertinent question, which Mr. Allen's book 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

suggests, but which it entirely fails to answer, viz : If 
Mr. Mann is such a knave and villain as he represents 
him to be, and if the Faculty and the Board of Trustees 
were so completely under his control, that the grossest 
injustice was often done to himself, as he says, why did 
he mourn and complain and threaten, because he was not 
allowed to remain in the Faculty, and be abused and in- 
sulted as before? Mr. Mann had not changed. Allen 
knew that most of the former Faculty would be retained. 
Why, then, did he desire to continue in a position in 
which he had long been abused, and to co-operate with 
men who had repeatedly insulted him ? Why did he not 
rather hold a jubilee, that the disbanding of the Faculty, 
by a vote of the Trustees, enabled him to escape from 
the clutches of those who had long been pursuing him? 
His book, and his complaints, a year ago, would not look 
well side by side. Mr. Alien gave me to understand very 
distinctly, that he had the power to injure the College 
immensely, and that he should, most certainly, use it if 
he were not re-appointed to his chair. And one of Mr. 
Allen's most intimate and most active friends, A. L. 
McKinney, has expressed the opinion, that if he had 
been re-appointed, his book would never have been writ- 
ten. 

3. By a committee of three prominent ministers of 
the Christian denomination, J. G. Reeder, 0. J. Wait, 
and T. M. McWhinney, men widely and favorably known 
for their candor and impartiality, who came to the Col- 
lege to examine into the causes of Mr. Allen's non-ap- 
pointment, that they might defend the appointing power 
against his cruel charges, or expose their treachery to the 
Christians, he had been published to the world as guilty 
of falsehood, a deceiver, an unsafe companion in labor ; 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

so odious to those who knew him best, that four of the 
old Faculty chose to leave the College rather than to 
associate with him longer. The honor, the integrity of 
the gentlemen composing that committee, had never been 
doubted. They did not come to the College as friends of 
mine, but rather inclined, in the absence of evidence to 
the contrary, to believe that I had dealt unfairly by Mr. 
Allen. But such was the nature of the testimony ad- 
duced, that they were obliged to report as they did. As 
their report was published, the friends of the College 
have supposed that the statements of such a man as they 
represented Mr. Allen to be, would be read with great 
allowance. 

4. The book is pervaded by such a malignant and vin- 
dictive spirit, and its pretended disclosures seem to ex- 
hibit so fully the motives of the author, that many have 
been entirely willing to let both pass, without the least 
notice. The whole plot is preposterous. The book does 
not even purport to be an account of a disagreement be- 
tween parties, nearly equal in number; but it does pre- 
tend to make the incredible revelation, that the author, 
a young man, of whom the world has heard but very lit- 
tle, who had never exhibited any special sagacity or re- 
markable insight into character, had discovered that a 
host of men, some of whom will be remembered for their 
noble deeds and sterling virtues long after Mr. Allen is 
forgotten, and many of whom have long been, and are 
still leading ministers of the Christian denomination, 
and yet enjoying the confidence of the community — 
these men, I say, this young man has discovered to be 
so completely destitute of all moral principle, so wanting 
in all the elements of genuine character, that they merit 
the scorn and contempt of all right minded people; yet 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

that he preserved his immaculateness in the midst of a 
sea of corruption, which swallowed many older and more 
experienced men. Hon. Horace Mann, Rev. Drs. Bel- 
lows, and Craig, Elders Amasa Stanton, Moses Cum- 
mings, J. H. Currier, J. Maple, J. Gr. Reeder, T. M. 
McWhinney, 0. J. Wait, J. B. Weston, John Phillips, 
Eli Fay, Dr Warriner, Profs. Cary and Fessenden, Mrs. 
Dean, Miss Wilmarth, almost the entire Board of Trus- 
tees, and all others who stood in his way, are spoken of 
in most slanderous terms. Mr. Allen alone, has made 
the remarkable discovery that they are impostors and 
hypocrites. 

This, in itself, is so preposterous as to be enough to 
destroy the credit of any man, making such a pretence. 
So the Editor of the Herald of Gospel Liberty viewed it, 
and so expressed himself in his notice of the book. So 
many persons of candor and intelligence have expressed 
themselves on taking up the book, and receiving from it 
their first impressions of the case. 

We might here, perhaps, safely rest our cause; for when 
personal feelings shall die away, the young man who has 
insolence enough ruthlessly to assail the moral character 
of those who were renowned for integrity and benevo- 
lence before he was born, or to attack those who raised 
him from that obscurity in which his enmity would have 
been harmless, to a position which alone gives power to 
his malice, will be looked upon with universal abhorrence. 

Still the friends of the College, and those whom Mr. 
Allen has attacked, have thought it best that I should 
make a brief reply, for the following reasons : 

I. He has taken great pains to circulate his book, 
where our paper containing the reports of the committee 



b INTRODUCTION. 

in his case, and where those whom he attacked are not 
known. 

II. The grossest assaults on character will be believed 
by some, until disproved. 

III. The abundant evidence now at hand, to prove 
the book a tissue of misrepresentation and falsehood, 
would soon be scattered by removals and death, when it 
would be much more harmful than it is now. 

It is not proposed, however, to reply to the book as a 
whole, but simply to expose its leading designs, and an- 
swer its principal accusations, and thus to show that, as 
a "History," it is entirely unreliable. 

With these remarks, I proceed to employ a few hours 
before I must leave for New-York to prosecute my work 
in behalf of the College, in preparing to submit to the 
public a few facts and considerations, and leave the read- 
er to judge whether Mr. Allen's statements are really 
facts or fiction. 

Eli Fay. 



MR. FAY'S STATEMENT 



Allen's Title Page is False. 

Mr. Ira W. Allen's so called "History of Antioch 
College," opens characteristically. It has two falsehoods 
upon its title page : 

First, It assumes to be a " History of the Rise, Diffi- 
culties, and Suspension of Antioch College," when every 
body knows, who knows anything about it, that Antioch 
College has never had a suspension. From its opening 
in October, 1853, till now, it has been in constant opera- 
tion, except during its ordinary vacations. Its property 
was assigned in 1857, but it never was suspended. We 
do not see why he should make so bare a falsehood so 
conspicuous, unless it is that here, as elsewhere in his 
book, he has mistaken himself for Antioch College. 

Secondly, He calls his book "A Record of Facts!" 
How he could get more falsehood into so few words, it is 
impossible to conceive. 

One would expect in such a work, something of a de- 
tail of the circumstances of the inception and early his- 
tory of the Institution ; but, so far from this, two pages 
suffice for him to tell his whole story of the early meas- 
ures in behalf of the College, its erection, the organiza- 
tion of its Faculty, &c, up to 1853, " when," he says, 



10 HE JOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

11 1 sailed for Europe," and a half a page more to bring 
it down to September, 1854, when "J arrived in New- 
York, direct from Europe." And this is but a specimen 
of the egotism of the whole work. But its egotism is a 
light fault in comparison with its gross and slanderous 
falsity. 

Allen Fabricates a Report of a Conversation 
with Mr. Fay. 

On the 7th page of his College History, he says : 
" Early in September, 1854, I arrived in New-York; di- 
rect from Europe, and calling on Elder Eli Fay, he took 
occasion to give me a brief history of the College during 
my absence, and I was greatly surprised to learn that 
troubles had already arisen. He reflected on Mr. Mann 
as the cause of them, represented him as opposed to 
prayer-meetings in the College, and Prof. Holmes as a 
firm advocate of them." 

Now, I pronounce this paragraph an entire fabrication, 
so far as it pretends to be a report of any conversation 
which ever occurred between us. I never told Mr. Allen 
anything of the sort. Again, if I had made any such 
disclosures to Mr. Allen, would it not have been perfectly 
natural to allude to them in our subsequent correspond- 
ence ? Would not those expressions of surprise, found 
in my letters quoted by Mr. Allen — letters written in 
answer to his own — have been entirely unnatural ? The 
first extract from my letters which Mr. Allen has pub- 
lished, shows that he commenced the correspondence, and 
every one shows very clearly, that instead of being fa- 
miliar with the subject of Mr. Allen's letters, they took 
me completely by surprise. The extracts themselves are 



MR. FAY'S STATEMENT. 11 

evidence that I wrote under excitement which Mr. 
Allen's letters had produced. 

He early commences his Secret Attacks on 
Mr. Mann. 

The facts concerning this correspondence are as fol- 
lows : Mr. Allen commenced writing to me in the winter 
or very early in the spring of 1855. I think I received 
about a dozen letters from him. They abounded with 
most alarming accusations against Mr. Mann, and some 
other members of the Faculty, and also against some of 
the students. Mr. Mann was accused of a conspiracy 
against Mr. Allen and the Christians in and out of the 
College, of showing the greatest partiality among the 
teachers and students, and of a general inal-administra- 
tion of all the College affairs. I have never had so little 
interest in the College, as to be unmoved by such charges. 
I was greatly excited by Mr. Allen's letters, and replied 
to them in a spirited manner, and with that perfect 
frankness which I have tried to practice towards all men. 
I had the utmost confidence in Mr. Allen at that time 
and supposed that he was telling me the truth, and that 
he would be willing to stand up to his statements like a 
man, and help to right the wrongs of which he com- 
plained. I advised him to go to Mr. Mann with his 
complaints. In the very first letter of mine, which he 
quotes, I said to him, " Don't fear to tell Mr. Mann 
plainly just what you think of the whole affair, and that 
partiality shown to some teachers, and disrespect shown 
others, will result in an explosion, as it certainly will if it 
is not stopped. Now, sir, I desire to write to Mr. Mann 
myself" concerning these general charges. 



12 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

He Dares not make them Openly. 

But Mr. Allen replied immediately, saying, that he 
could accomplish nothing by meeting Mr. Mann, that 
Mr. Mann was a very adroit manager, and that he (Allen) 
would labor under great disadvantages, in demanding ex- 
planations, or seeking reconcilement. He also urged me 
to say nothing, whatever, to Mr. Mann of the nature of 
his charges, as it would at once endanger his position in 
the College. Still I urged upon him the necessity of 
meeting Mr. Mann face to face. I told him if he wished 
to effect a reconciliation through me, I must be allowed 
to present his charges against him (Mann) to Mr. Mann 
himself. But the manner in which he received my sug- 
gestions and advice, and, indeed, the nature of our pre- 
vious correspondence touching this whole subject, and a 
determination already forming on my part to compel him 
to meet Mr. Mann, may all be inferred from another quo- 
tation which he makes from another of my letters, dated 
about two and a half months after the first. Mr. Allen 
quotes me as saying to him, " I cannot see why you should 
be afraid to meet Mr. Mann face to face, in defence of 
the right. Certainly I cannot act as mediator, if I must 
withhold all the facts. How can parties ever be recon- 
ciled while they seek concealment with smouldering fires 
in their bosoms? My only hope of a satisfactory adju- 
dication is in the plainest and strongest statement of the 
facts in the case." 

This is certainly a most unfortunate paragraph for Mr. 
Allen. Several most important facts of our previous cor- 
respondence are here unmistakably referred to : 1st, It 
appears very clearly that I had been urging Mr. Allen 
" to meet Mr. Mann face to face." 2d, It is equally as 



MR. fay's statement. 18 

evident that Mr. Allen Lad refused. 3d, It also appears 
that I had expressed a desire to acquaint Mr. Mann with 
what Mr. Allen had presented to me as " facts." 4th, It 
is further evident that Mr. Allen had charged nie to 
" withhold all the facts." 5th, That I desired to bring 
things to light, as a means of reconciling parties ; and 
6th, That he was seeking " concealment with smouldering 
fires in his bosom." Without the least warping, these 
" facts" stand out in my words, which Mr. Allen himself 
has quoted, and they very truly represent the entire 
character of our correspondence on that subject. 

I continued urging him to meet Mr. Mann, or to allow 
me to acquaint him with Mr. Allen's grievances, and he 
continued to refuse, until, finally, my suspicions were 
excited, and I told him plainly that unless his refusals 
were withdrawn, I wished to hear no more of his com- 
plaints. 

He becomes Alarmed and recalls his Letters. 

In a very short time after, Mrs. Fay received a letter 
from him, while I was absent from home, in which he re- 
quested that all his letters to me should be returned imme- 
diat$y. His request was complied with at once. His 
letters were returned, but he has never returned mine. 
And, now, having put it out of my power to defend my- 
self by quotations from his letters, he publishes extracts 
from mine, without the least allusion to his own, to which 
mine were simply replies. It is certainly a little sur- 
prising, that a man who has done such a deed, can intro- 
duce himself to the public as an example of purity and 
piety, and boast, not very modestly, of his numerous 
Christian virtues. As Mr. Allen has intimated that he 



14 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

will publish other extracts from my letters, unless I con- 
duct myself to please him, I hereby challenge him to 
produce my letters and his own, side by side. But the 
reader may be assured that his will never be seen by the 
public. He would never have recalled them in hot 
haste, if he had not understood that by them he could 
be convicted of treachery and falsehood. 

The following statement by Mr. Mann, corroborates 
what I have said of my correspondence with Mr. Allen, 
and, also, shows how he then conducted himself towards 
those whom he was bitterly accusing : 

"In the spring of 1855 rumors reached me that Mr. Fay, 
of New-York, was ill at ease respecting the administra- 
tion of the College. Thereupon I wrote him a private 
and friendly letter, asking him for the what and the why 
He replied in a letter of eleven large letter paper pages, 
containing a body of accusations, heavy enough to sink 
a ship. Each and every one of these was so utterly and 
maliciously false, so far outside of the possibility of be- 
ing true, that I stood aghast on reading them. I looked 
about to see who could have been their inventor, for Mr. 
Fay had given me no name, nor clew to any. I could 
hardly allow my suspicions to fall upon any one. Not 
one of my colleagues had ever breathed to me a word of 
dissatisfaction. Mr. Allen I met every day, often several 
times a day ; he visited at my house; he had revealed no 
sign of disaffection on personal or administrative account. 
As, however, I could not help thinking that he must 
know something about Mr. Fay's informants, I called on 
him in a friendly way. His manner was mealy-mouthed 
and deprecatory. He affirmed that he had never written 
but two or three letters to Mr. Fay on College affairs, and 



MR. fay's statement. 15 

said he would be willing to let me see them all. The 
conversation closed with a promise on his part, that he 
would never repeat such an act, but that if, in future, he 
should have any exception to take, respecting me, he would 
speak of it, first of all, to me in private. 

Horace Mann." 

Two other facts in connection with this correspond- 
ence merit attention : 1st, Mr. Mann learned that I had 
heard many reports prejudicial to the College, and at 
once wrote me, inquiring what they were, and who were 
his accusers. My chief regret, so far as I had anything 
to do with that affair, has been, and must ever be, that I 
gave to Mr. Mann the charges, without giving my au- 
thority, and that what was thus intended as a kindness 
to Mr. Allen, he has converted into an instrument of 
torture to Mr. Mann and the College. Had I given my 
authority before Mr. Allen demanded his letters, Mr. 
Mann would undoubtedly have demanded an examina- 
tion, and Mr. Allen would have been exposed. 2d, Mr. 
Allen quotes me as saying that his statements to 
me had been " corroborated by others." Well, I sup- 
posed that I was telling the truth ; but it turns out that 
what I supposed to be the testimony of two or three per- 
sons, was simply the testimony of Mr. Allen himself. 
Prof. J. B. Weston is one of the persons to whom I re- 
ferred as corroborating Mr. Allen's statements. The 
following letter from him, not only explains itself, but 
also throws light on the course which Mr. Allen was 
wont to pursue as a member of the Faculty. Mr. Wes- 
ton says : 

" In the spring of 1855, Mr. I. W. Allen was a Pro- 
fessor, and I was a student in Antioch College. One 



16 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

circumstance occurred, which he so explained at the time 
as to lead me to believe that Mr. Mann and another mem- 
ber of tbe Faculty, had done injustice to me. At his 
instigation, I wrote to Mr. Fay, criticising them, and 
asking for explanations. I soon learned, however, to my 
entire satisfaction, that they were innocent of the charges 
made by him, and my suspicions, which were thereby 
excited, were entirely removed, and I immediately wrote 
to Mr. Fay to that effect. J. B. Weston." 

Here Mr. Allen appeared in his true character, as a 
jealous, intriguing, ambitious, mischief-making man, as 
he proved himself to be during his connection with the 
College, going among the students and neighbors, writing 
to persons at a distance, and throwing out his insinua- 
tions and accusations against his coadjutors, and that, 
too, while he seemed to be on most intimate terms with 
them. 

Prof. Holmes was the other person who corroborated Mr. 
Allen's statements. The circumstances of this case will 
appear in another part of this book. Suffice it to say 
here, that Mr. Allen himself instigated Mr. Holmes's 
withdrawal, and then charged all the blame upon Mr. 
Mann, and represented to Mr. Holmes that Mr. Mann, 
and not himself, was the cause of it ; so, it is not 
wonderful, that for a time Prof. Holmes felt that Mr. 
Mann had done him a great wrong. But none are more 
satisfied now, than Mr. Holmes himself, of the false part 
acted by Mr. Allen at that time. He has recently said, 
and said truly, in allusion to the troubles which have 
arisen, not only in the College, but also in the Church in 
Yellow Springs, and in regard to the Gospel Herald, 
"Allen seems to me to be the cause of all these troubles, 



MR. fay's statement. 17 

and I think he has haen from, the time of the first move- 
ment against me." 

Thus, what I regarded at the time as a corroboration 
of Mr. Allen's statement was simply an expression of 
his own opinions by others into whose minds he had, by 
misrepresentation and intrigue, instilled them, and 
neither of whom has now the least confidence in him. 

Before dismissing the subject of our correspondence it 
is proper to state that Mr. Allen's letters were often very 
voluminous, filling from three to five sheets of com- 
mon note paper ; and, so far as my memory serves me, 
the College and its affairs were our only topic. It 
should also be stated that the reports of the dissatisfac- 
tion of the other teachers came to me from Mr. Allen, and 
I have every reason to believe that that too was created 
by himself alone. 

Why Mr. Allen was not Re-appointed. 

I will now call attention to the reasons why Mr. Allen 
was left out of the new Faculty, and also to the course 
which he subsequently pursued, and what followed. 

At the annual meeting of the trustees of the College 
held in the last of June, 1857, all the College property 
was assigned to F. A. Palmer, Esqr., for the benefit of 
its creditors, and the Faculty was disbanded. Subse- 
quently, it was decided to continue the educational de- 
partment of the College, and a committee, consisting of 
Rev. Dr. Bellows, Hon. A. Harlan and myself, was ap- 
pointed to employ a new Faculty. The committee did 
not see fit to re-appoint Mr. Allen, because those who knew 
him well and without whom it was impossible to organize 
the new Faculty, would no longer co-operate with him. 
His conduct as a member of the Faculty had been such 
2 



18 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

that they refused to be associated with him any longer. 
I called on Professors Cary and Warriner, who had been 
eminently successful in their respective departments, and 
were universally esteemed as Christian gentlemen, to 
learn if they would continue in their Chairs, and the fol- 
lowing is the decision which they gave me at the time, 
and which at my request they have furnished to me : — 

" At the end of the Collegiate year, 1856-7, having be- 
come convinced of the untrustworthiness of Ira W. Allen, 
we declined serving any longer upon the College Faculty 
if he were re-appointed. We felt unwilling to co-operate 
with a man who had proved faithless to his associates, 
and who stood in a continual attitude of hostility to the 
President." Geo. L. Cary, 

H. A. Warriner." 

" Yellow Springs, May 23rd, 1859." 

Mr. Mann and Mrs. Dean likewise refused to work 
longer with him. They loved Antioch and were will- 
ing to work for it. But they had proved Mr. Allen to 
be so false, so malicious, and so dangerous withal, that 
they preferred to seek a new field of labor rather than to 
co-operate with him any longer. Professors Coburn and 
Waterhouse, who were members of the Faculty during 
the year previous to the assignment, entertained precise- 
ly the same opinions of him. Indeed he was not respect- 
ed in the least, by one of his co-laborers, except Mr. 
Doherty, if indeed that were an exception. He was, 
therefore, left out of the new Faculty. 

Then, after repeated and earnest efforts, by entreaty 
and threat, to obtain a re-appointment, but without avail, 
he immediately commenced that determined opposition 
to the College which he had threatened in case of his 



MR. fay's statement. 19 

non-appointment, and manifested that malignity towards 
me which a true man never cherishes. He traveled very 
extensively through Ohio, New-York, and New-England, 
and wherever he went, the College was the object of at- 
tack, and I was accused of betraying the Christians. 
Indeed, he undertook to alienate the Christians from the 
College entirely. He tried to persuade Mr. Weston to 
break his promise to return to the College as Principal 
of the Preparatory Department. He did everything 
which he could to excite suspicion against myself, Mr. 
Mann and the College. 

His Friend, Mb. Doherty, writes Editorials. 

Mr. Doherty, who now defended Mr. Allen's cause as 
a part of his own, wrote an article under the caption, 
11 Antioch College, — A Warning," and, by false repre- 
sentations, induced Elder James Maple to publish it as an 
Editorial, with slight alterations, in the Gospel Herald of 
August 13th, 1857. 

It is painful to be obliged to say that that article 
abounds in falsehoods and misrepresentations. The 
College was most bitterly assailed, and I was represented 
as an " enemy to vital godliness and the Christian de- 
nomination." 

On the 3rd of September following, another Editorial 
appeared in the Gospel Herald, headed "Antioch College 
and its New Faculty — Total Exclusion of the Representa- 
tives of the Christian Church" 

In this article I was most bitterly denounced. The 
act of leaving Messrs. Allen and Doherty out of the new 
Faculty was pronounced "a wanton and high handed 
outrage, that must alienate and mortally offend every true 



20 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

and honest member of the Christian Church in every part of 
the country " 

This Editorial was also written by Mr. Doherty. 

These articles are printed in Mr. Allen's book [pages 
79 — 82,] as written by Elder James Maple; and he fre- 
quently repeats the language they contain to damage 
both Mr. Maple and the College. So late as April 27, 
he caused to be republished in the Gospel Herald a por- 
tion of one of these articles, appending to it the name of 
James Maple. Both were written by Mr. Doherty. The 
phrase which he loves so much to quote, " the little schem- 
ing, selfish, greedy clique" — is not the language of James 
Maple, but of W. H. Doherty. See it reproduced almost 
verbatim, in Mr. D's. letter to Mr. Maple respecting the 
affairs of the Second Church in this place. Mr. Doherty 
and Mr. Allen were constantly in each other's confidence, 
and Mr. Allen must have known that Mr. Doherty was 
the real author of those Editorials ; did he not, then, 
every time he repeated them as the language of Elder 
Maple, repeat what he must know to be false ? 

[A Gross Inconsistency.] 

This article, as well as their previous efforts to obtain 
a re-appointment, shows how anxious both he and Mr. 
Allen were to retain their places in the Faculty. How 
inconsistent with their course are the accusations it con- 
tains. 

Was it " a wanton and a high-handed outrage which 
must mortally offend every true and honest member of 
the Christian Church in every part of the country," that 
two such pure and spotless men as they represent them- 
sleves to be, were left out of an Institution which they them- 



MR. fay's statement. 21 

selves say had then long been unworthy of public pa- 
tronage ? Was it an " outrage high-handed and wanton," 
to snatch two pious, worthy men from the heartless, god- 
less set who had vexed their righteous souls for years ? 
Such are their own representations. 

Putting these things together, do they*not place them- 
selves before the world in one of the following attitudes ? 
either as very anxious to remain in an Institution which 
they themselves knew at the time to be rotten to the very 
core, and entirely unworthy of confidence, without mak- 
ing any public exposure of it until they were likely to 
lose their places ; or, as having made representations con- 
concerning it which were wilfully and maliciously false ? 

Origin of the "Self-Constituted Committee." 

Under these circumstances what could I do ? Ought 
I to sink quietly down under these terrible accusations, 
and tacitly admit that, in leaving Mr. Allen out of the 
Faculty I had shown myself " an enemy of vital godli- 
ness and the Christian denomination ? " Should I 
acknowledge that I had committed " a wanton and 
a high-handed outrage?" I must submit to such 
charges, or disclose to the public the facts which impelled 
me to my course. Messrs. Allen and Doherty alone are 
responsible for that state of things which made this ex- 
posure necessary. Wherever they went they accused me 
in the strongest language they could command, until in 
self-defense alone I was obliged to speak. I was the 
party accused. I decided to write to a number of our 
brethren of large experience and undoubted interest in 
the Christian denomination, to meet at the College, and 
to present to them the reasons which induced the Com- 



22 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

mittee to leave Messrs. Allen and Doherty out of their 
Chairs. I wanted men who were known to the whole de- 
nomination, and in whom all had confidence. I did not 
care particularly what their feelings were towards me or 
the College, if they were honest men; for I knew that 
there were facts enough to convince the strongest scep- 
tic, if his mind was open to conviction. I invited five 
able and worthy brethren, J. G-. Reeder, H. Simonton, 0. 
J. Wait, T. M. McWhinney and Dr. Foster. Br. Simon- 
ton and Dr. Foster did not come. These brethren were 
appointed by no conference, no church. / did not ap- 
point them. I invited them. They were, therefore, in 
every sense of the term, a "Self-Constituted Commit- 
tee." 

And, now, who are this committee ? Elder Reeder is 
a minister nearly sixty years of age. He has been one of 
the leading ministers of the Miami Conference for many 
years past, and has often served as chairman at its annual 
sessions. For strict integrity, honesty, impartiality and 
candor, he is as well known as any man in Southwestern 
Ohio. Ira W. Allen is his only accuser, so far as I have 
ever heard. 

Elder 0. J. Wait has been known to the New-Eng- 
land Christians for many years as a most successful pas- 
tor, an able writer, and a genuine Christian. He is now 
a resident of Ohio. 

Elder T. M. McWhinney is as widely and as favorably 
known as any minister of his age in the denomination. 
It is sufficient to say of him that he has recently gather- 
ed a large congregation, and is now engaged in building 
a fine church in a neighborhood in which he has been 
known from boyhood. With these men life and fortune 



MR. fay's statement. 23 

might be safely trusted, yet Mr. Allen cannot find epithets 
mean enough to describe them. 

I wished to take no advantage of Mr. Allen. I there- 
fore invited him to be present when the committee should 
meet. But he knew that he could not face my witnesses. 
He knew that the turpitude of his conduct could neither 
be palliated nor explained away. He therefore desired 
to stand entirely aloof, and then create sympathy by cry- 
ing that it was an ex parte affair. I presented evidence 
in justification of my course until Elder Reeder exclaim- 
ed, " It is enough : We can ask no more." 

The committee then held a discussion as to whether 
they should report the facts which had been presented to 
them ; or, out of kindness to Mr. Allen, simply exonerate 
the committee from all blame for leaving him out of the 
Faculty. They decided on the latter course, and on the 
12th of November, 1857, the following report appeared in 
the Gospel Herald, the paper through which I, as one of 
the committee to employ a Faculty, had been so bitterly 
assailed : 

" Committee's Report. 

II Whereas, certain remarks have been made touching 
the action of the committee (Hon. A. Harlan, Rev. H. 
W. Bellows, D.D., and Elder E. Fay,) to which was re- 
ferred the selection of the Faculty of Antioch College for 
the ensuing year ; 

"And whereas, these remarks have, as we believe, been 
very prejudicial to the best interest of the College — in 
that they have led, at least some, and perhaps many, of 
the warm-hearted patrons of the College, not only to dis- 
trust the committee, but to lose confidence in most, if 



24 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

not all, of those who have the supervision of the Institu- 
tion; and this feeling of general distrust having grown 
out of the fact that this committee refused to re-appoint 
two of our brethren, Professors Doherty and Allen, men 
in whom we had implicit confidence ; 

" And whereas, the facts that influenced that commit- 
tee in its action were to be had by any who sought them, 
and knowing that for us to believe rumor, when truth 
could be obtained, was not only to do injustice to our- 
selves and the committee, but the grossest wrong to the 
College; 

"Therefore, we, the undersigned, formed ourselves 
into a committee, for the purpose, not only of satisfying 
ourselves as to the surprising action of that committee, but, 
furthermore, of presenting, if it were ever deemed proper, 
the result of our inquiry to others of our friends, that 
they, too, might know why that committee acted as they 
did. 

" And now, permit us to say, that having gone to 
the College on Saturday, 17th day of this month, and 
having heard the testimony of the students, class by class, 
and moreover, having heard the testimony of the Faculty 
— we say, that, having gone to the only place where we 
supposed the truth could be elicited, and having gathered 
all the facts that we could, it is our most deliberate and abid- 
ing conviction that that committee could not, in view of the 
evidence presented them, have appointed either of those two 
brethren to a Professorship in Antioch College. 

" Had they appointed them, we cannot but believe 
that their action would have been to gratify a few per- 
sonal friends, rather than to have consulted the general 
interest of our beloved Institution. 



MR. fay's statement. 25 

"We have but to say in conclusion, that this commit- 
tee is " self-constituted," and this report gratuitous ; 
hence we submit it, with the hope that, if you are still not 
satisfied with the action of that committee, you will, 
for the sake of our long cherished College, adopt some 
plan whereby your conclusion may hereafter be based 
upon facts rather than rumors. 

T. M. McWhinney, 

J. G-. Keeder, \- Committee." 

0. J. Wait. 
« Franklin, Oct. 28th, 1857." 

Mr. Allen attacks the Committee, which necessi- 
tates a Second Report. 

When this report appeared, Mr. Allen became furious. 
He assailed the committee with all the malice which he 
had before manifested towards myself and others. He 
complained of the report because of its indefiniteness, 
said that he would have greatly preferred the facts, " that 
the report was a cowardly attack upon him, a thrust in 
the dark, that it was impossible to defend himself against 
such blind insinuations," and so forth, till the committee 
who, to my personal knowledge, intended to screen him 
from merited scorn by the generality of their first report, 
were driven in self-defence, to publish a second report 
presenting the facts in the case. Not having their 
second report at hand I present the following extracts 
from it, as they appeared in different parts of Mr. Allen's 
book.* 

*Query, — Why did not Mr. Allen in his review of the Second Re- 
port, give it entire, and in one body? Did he not dare to trust his 
readers with such an array of authenticated specifications against 
him ? Did he fear to trust his reputation with more than one in a 
place? 

« 3 



26 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

The committee say, 

" Without specifying any of the facts proven, we gave 
it as our deliberate and abiding conviction, that the com- 
mittee could not, in view of the evidence presented to 
them, have appointed either of those two men to a Profes- 
sorship in the College. 

" The reason why we made & generic rather than a specific 
report, was to screen the " illogical moral character" of 
Mr. Allen. And we would not now be willing to make a 
disclosure of the facts, were it not for the reason that we 
have learned, personally and otherwise, that Mr. Allen is 
takiDg advantage of that want of specificness to the great 
injury of the cause of truth, and the Christian character 
of those who made that report ; and hence the mercy that 
we showed him has been turned against us; and thus 
the innocent have been made to suffer for the wickedness 
of the guilty. 

" Now, however much we may have desired to cover 
Mr. Allen's 'multitude of sins,' we now feel, in view of 
the course he is taking, that it is our duty — a duty that 
we owe to ourselves, to the world, and to God, to state in 
plain Anglo-Saxon terms the reasons why the committee 
did not re -appoint Mr. Allen to a Professorship in the 
College, 

" But to the facts : Having formed ourselves into a 
committee, and met in the College, on Saturday the 17th 
day of October last, in the presence of the Faculty and 
others, it was proven to us — 

" 1st. That Mr. Allen, though very friendly to Mr. 
Mann's face, and often visiting him and sharing his hos- 
pitalities and the pleasures of his social parties, had for 
a long time secretly used his utmost influence to create 
3, prejudice against Mr. Mann, and that, too, where 



MR. fay's statement. 27 

such prejudice would prove most fatal to Mr. Mann's use- 
fulness as President of the College." 

" 2nd. That when Mr. Allen had brought an accusa- 
tion against one of the subordinate teachers, and failed 
to sustain it, he then positively falsified the record to 
screen himself. This was when Mr. Allen was acting as 
Secretary of the Faculty." 

" 3d. It was proved to us that in the Faculty meetings 
he would cast his vote in a given way, and then go to the 
students, and preparingly to keeping on friendly terms 
with them, would insinuate that he voted differently; 
and in some instances positively denying his vote." 

"4th. It was proven to us that Mr. Allen did tell 
several positive falsehoods to Mr. Fessenden concerning 
Mr. Mann ; and when Mr. Fessenden, as his only means 
of self-defence, told Mr. Mann what Mr. Allen had told 
him, he was severely censured by Mr. Allen. Mr. Allen 
said to Mr. Fessenden, ' You ought to have denied to Mr. 
Mann you ever heard me say anything about it, for it was 
not designed for other men's ears.' Mr. Fessenden in- 
quired : ' Do I understand you, Mr. Allen, to say that I 
should have denied the facts.' Mr. Allen replied : 'It 
is morally right for you to say to Mr. Mann that you did 
not know, and that I never told you.' This enormous 
charge was sustained by the testimony of Professors 
Fessenden and J. B. "Weston. Who in the Christian 
denomination will think any the less of Antioch because 
she spears [spurns] such men from her halls ? " 

" 5th. It was proved to us that Mr. Allen himself in- 
stigated the removal of Professor Holmes, and afterwards 
tried to convince Holmes, and others, that it was an in- 
sult to him and a great indignity to the Christian 
Church." 



28 REJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

" 6th. It was proven to us, from his own letters, that 
Mr. Allen had circulated false reports touching the gen- 
eral administration of the College." 

I doubt very much whether these are all the important 
parts of that report. But certainly a man of ordinary 
moral sensibility would stagger under them. Mr. Allen 
attempts to reply to these reports, by assailing the char- 
acters of these gentlemen of the committee. But he has 
only injured himself. He certainly cannot harm them. 
Then he abuses me for calling a committee ; says I used 
dishonorable means to get a committee, &c, for the com- 
plete refutation of which charge I will refer the read- 
er to Elder Hiram Simonton's statement. Then ho 
accuses others, as though it would greatly help him if he 
could prove that somebody else was a knave. But after 
all his explanations and accusations of others, there the 
report stands, and there it will forever stand, as the de- 
liberate expression of three intelligent, candid and influ- 
ential Christian ministers, touching the character of 
I. W. Allen. 

Now I shall not attempt to vindicate the characters of 
those brethren, nor their ability to weigh testimony. I 
shall take for granted, what those who know them never 
doubted, that they knew their duties as committee men, 
that they understood the nature of the testimony pre- 
sented to them, the character of their report, their re- 
sponsibility to Mr. Allen, and his means of redress if 
they charged him falsely. Therefore, Mr. Allen must 
carry the brand of falsehood and perfidy, placed on him 
by a committee of Christian ministers. 

This committee was very much pained by the necessi- 
ty of making such a report. They tried to avoid that 



MR. fay's statement. 29 

necessity. They offered Mr. Allen a rehearing. I heard 
them say again and again, that, considering the age of 
the young man and their former respect for him, they 
would greatly rejoice if their decision could be reversed 
by a new jury. He was assured, personally and by letter, 
that I was ready to go into an examination of the whole 
matter with him. But he has uniformly spurned all 
propositions of that sort. 

He can have another Committee if He will. 

He dares not meet me before any impartial tribunal. 
But, to show my perfect willingness to receive whatever 
light Mr. Allen has to throw upon the subject, I hereby 
make another proposition. At a time and before a com- 
mittee which shall be agreed upon by us, I will, in the town 
of Yellow Springs, go into an examination of the causes 
which induced us to leave him out of the Facxdty. If said 
committee will decide that we did wrong, I will pay the en- 
tire expenses of the trial myself, and make such a retraction 
as they may require, through all our denominational papers. 
But if they should decide that he was morally unfit to be a 
member of the Faculty, he shall pay the expenses and en- 
dorse their verdict. 

The charges of infidelity, of endeavoring, by tricks 
and fraud to force myself upon* an unwilling people; of 
dividing the Church, of attacking the Bible, of scattering 
the congregation, and indeed his entire Church history 
of nearly 70 pages, in which my name is used about one 
hundred times, are most triumphantly refuted by the 
committee appointed by the Miami Conference to ex- 
amine into the troubles in the Church here. We refer 
the reader to that report. 



30 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

The Falsehood respecting Mr. Dean's College 
Agency, and Mr. Fay's Interest in it. 

On the 62nd page of his College History, he says, 
"Indeed it was said that Mr. Dean received 16 per cent 
on all the moneys which passed through his hands, and 
that Eli Fay had been chiefly instrumental in appoint- 
ing Mr. Dean Agent, and giving him a written contract 
for the Eastern territory at the 16 per cent. "What share 
of the profits Mr. Fay was to have we do not know." 

Let the reader notice the cowardly phraseology and the 
dishonorable insinuations of this paragraph. " It is said," 
is offered for historical authority, "we do not know," as 
an historical fact. The fact is an important one. I am 
glad he acknowledges that he "did not know" that I 
received any of the profits ; I am certainly very thankful 
for this exceptional favor, though it is small. If instead 
of insinuating in the form of a negation, that I did "re- 
ceive a share of the profits," he had asserted that three 
fourths of it went directly into my pockets, it would 
have been very much like some of his other statements 
concerning me. 

The facts are as follows. I had a written contract with 
Mr. Dean, for the Eastern territory. By the terms of 
that contract Mr. D. was to receive but three per cent, on 
a very large portion of the money that passed through 
his hands ; on another portion 8 per cent, and on still 
another portion, which it was supposed would be small 
and difficult to obtain, 16 per cent; and Mr. Allen knew 
these facts when he wrote that paragraph; for in collect- 
ing statistics for his History, he spent hours over the 
clerk's book of records, in which my contract with Mr. 
Dean was recorded. And yet with that contract as it 



MR. fay's statement. 31 

were before Lis eyes, lie writes and publishes 16 per cent, 
as the rate to be paid for all moneys collected under it. 
It will be seen, also, that it was not a private contract 
between myself and Mr. Dean, but one with which the 
Trustees were well acquainted. 

The Rat Story. 

But the following extract from the 36th page of the 
College History is a fabrication sufficiently outrageous to 
make one's blood curdle. He says : "Some three years 
ago Mr. Blake, brother-in-law of Mrs. A. S. Dean, was 
Assistant Treasurer, and while in that office he made out 
with great care and labor an alphabetical list, in a large 
blank book, heavily bound, of all the Scholarship-hold- 
ers who could be obtained. After Mr. Blake returned 
to New- York City, Mr. Dean occupied the office, and be- 
fore long this large book was missing. The matter was 
inquired into, it is said, when it appeared that Mr. John 
Kershner, a member of the Executive Committee, had 
last seen the book in Mr. Dean's house. Mr. Dean was 
then asked where the book was; he replied that he did 
not know certainly what had become of it ; probably the 
rats had eaten it iijp /" 

"Since that time, when anything disappears, it is jo- 
cosely hinted "that the rats have eaten it wp." 

"But seriously: Will not every scholarship-holder 
ask, " Why did A. S. Dean destroy this valuable book, or 
keep it concealed ? Why did he commit it to the flames 
or other destructive forces, unless it was to aid himself 
in swindling the College out of hundreds and thousands 
of dollars?" 

Now the fact in this case is that the book is still in ex- 



32 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

istence. I myself took it from the College Office, and for* 
warded it to Mr. Palmer of New- York, for his use as as- 
signee. 

It is not "eaten by rats" nor destroyed, nor kept con- 
cealed, nor committed to the flames or other destructive 
force ; and I understand that Mr. John Kershner denies 
that Mr. Dean ever made the reply given in the above 
extract, or that he ever made such a statement to Mr. 
Allen. Yet, on such a false basis, Mr. A. founds a fling 
about " swindling the College out of hundreds and thou- 
sands of dollars." Now, what must the reader think o"f 
the morality of this self-appointed defender of the pu- 
rity of the Church, this man who is constantly obtruding 
his own truthfulness and integrity upon his readers ? 

His book was undoubtedly written in Yellow Springs, 
where the true state of the case might have been learned 
if he had desired to be an impartial historian. With 
equally wilful blindness or malice, he has repeatedly spo- 
ken of the College finances, and of Mr. Dean's accounts. 
He has made representations which he knew were false, or 
he knew nothing whatever concerning them, and in eith- 
er case the true character of the man is very clearly seen. 

His strange Pretension to an Interest in Prayer 
Meetings. 

But perhaps the following presents him in his charac- 
ter as a historian as truly as any paragraph in his book. 
In speaking of Mr. Mann, he says, "had he manifested an 
interest in our weekly prayer meetings, had he attended 
our weekly church meetings, and taken hold heart and 
hand with us, he might have accomplished great good." 

Tins paragraph is^found towards the last part of a 
book of more than 300 pages, one of the principal inten- 



MR. fay's statement. 33 

tions of which was to prove that Mr. Mann was one of 
the most unscrupulous and perfidious of all men ; that 
he had betrayed the whole Christian denomination, that 
he was an infidel, and that he fostered infidelity in the 
College. It had been distinctly stated that under Mr. 
Mann's administration, " all religious power 1 ' had been 
prevented from operating on the students," and that 
"many who entered its halls, as professing Christians, had 
been turned aside from the religion of their parents, and be- 
come careless or sceptical, if not positively infidel in their 
views." 

After laboring through nearly 300 pages to prove Mr. 
Mann a knave and an infidel, whose influence was most 
pernicious among the students, he expresses the opinion 
that " he might have accomplished great good," by attend- 
ing the prayer meetings. But what "good " such a man 
as he represents Mr. Mann to be, " could accomplish," in 
a prayer meeting, it is certainly difficult to discover. 
And his expressed regret that he was not permitted to 
take " hold, heart and hand," with Mr. Mann, in such 
meetings, is most incredible, except on the ground that 
the moral character of the things of which he is perfectly 
willing to "take hold, heart and hand, " is distinctly in- 
timated. 

h.e never att ended the social meetings of the 
Church. 

But the deception which he intended to practice, and the 
true character of the historian, are seen in the pronouns 
" our " and " us. " The reader is thereby given to under- 
stand that he did " take hold, heart and hand, in the 
weekly prayer meetings" and "monthly church meetings." 
No other inference can be gathered from his language ; 



34 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

yet many of the old Church members here, who attended 
those meetings regularly, say that they never saw him 
in either, until after he was left out of the Faculty, when 
he suddenly became very pious, <£ taking hold, heart and 
hand with lis. " See the following certificates from per- 
sons who have been members of the Church in Yellow 
Springs, for a series of years, who have been faithful to 
it in all its trials, and whose daily Christian life is above 
reproach. % 

Certificates : 

" The undersigned having been for many years mem- 
bers of the Christian Church of Yellow Springs, and reg- 
ular attendants of its meetings, do hereby certify, that, 
during the three years in which Mr. Ira W. Allen, was 
connected with Antioch College, he manifested no interest 
in the prosperity of the Church in this place. To the 
best of our recollection, he was never seen at prayer meet- 
ings, at monthly Church meetings, nor Sunday school, dur- 
ing all that time; neither during the pastorship of Prof. 
Holmes nor of Elder Summerbell, nor when the Church 
was destitute of a pastor. He took no interest in the 
maintenance of preaching here, until the movement in 
behalf of his co-adjutor, Prof. "VY. H. Doherty. 
Yelloio Springs, June, 1859. 
Signed : W. R. King, 

Snow Richardson, 
Elizabeth Ohlwine, 
Wealthy Edmunds, 
S. M. Lewis. 

The names of many others might be added to this list, 
if it were necessary or convenient, but these are sufficient. 
These are persons who were always in their places in the 



MR. fay's statement. 35 

meetings of the Church, and the most of them are widely 
and favorably known abroad. Elder Richardson is 
known throughout South Western Ohio, as a minister of 
true piety, good ability, sound judgmnt and strict in- 
tegrity. Mr. King, former Secretary of the College Trus- 
tees, is widely known in New-York and Ohio. Mrs. 
Edmunds is well known in our Churches, in New-York, 
Michigan, Illinois and Ohio ; the others are of equally 
unimpeachable integrity. But no one conversant with 
the facts, will question the truth of what they say. 
" Heart and hand with US ! " 

He very rarely attends College Prayer Meet- 
ings. 

Nor was his interests in the religious meetings of the 
College much greater. There is one important fact in 
this connection, which should have appeared in this Col- 
lege History. 

Mr. Allen was a member of the Faculty of Antioch 
College for three years, and roomed in Antioch Hali. 
During all this time, on every Sabbath evening, almost 
without a single omission, a prayer meeting was held by 
the students and others connected with the College, in 
the same building, and but a few steps from his room. 
With the exception of one term, when he was President 
of the Christian Association, which made him leader of 
the prayer meetings, Mr. A. almost never attended them, 
and he took no apparent interest in them. At one time 
the student, on whom the leading of the meetings devol- 
ved, suggested that Mr. A. be re-elected to the place, but 
the members of the Association said — "No. A man 
who has not interest enough in the prayer meeting to attend 



36 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

it, unless he holds an office, is not the man for a leader." 
So his name was dropped. 

"The undersigned were members of the Christian As- 
sociation of Antioch College, during the time above al- 
luded to, and we hereby certify that the above statements 
are correct according to our best knowledge and belief. 
Yellow Springs, June, 1859. 

Signed: H. C. Badger, 
J. B. Weston, 
M. G. Dean, 
Allen Hill, 
M. J. Miller. 

The names of James Sallaway, Wm. A. Bell, W. H. 
Smith, and many others who were attendants of the 
meetings at the time, might have been added to the above 
list, if necessary. The fact above stated was notorious. 
And yet one would think from his pretensions that he 
was all this time the very spirit and support of all such 
exercises. But such deceptions are characteristic of his 
book. 

But I cannot follow this tortuous author any farther. 
I know that his book is full of falsehoods, though it gives 
me no pleasure to say it. Indeed, I have been greatly 
mortified by Mr. Allen's conduct. Many times it has 
been thrown in my face that I was instrumental in bring- 
ing him to the College. I would for this and for many 
other reasons, prefer to write pleasant things of him, but 
in truth I cannot. In justice to myself and to our 
College, which is of far more importance to the world 
than either of us, I am compelled to write these things, 
which plainly show that Ira W. Allen is an untruthful 
and a dangerous man. 

ELI FAY. 



MR. MANN'S STATEMENT. 



During a public life, not now short, one principle has 
always governed me in regard to noticing or neglecting 
imputations upon my character or conduct. My rule has 
always been, to pass by accusations merely personal to 
myself, but to confront and repel those which endanger 
or prejudice the cause in which I am engaged. In the 
first case, my character must vindicate itself; but in the 
second, I must vindicate the cause, lest it should be 
crushed or seriously wounded, before slow-moving Truth 
can come to its rescue. 

Therefore I now proceed to offer some evidence re- 
specting the veracity of a book, entitled, " History of the 
Rise, Difficulties and Suspension of Antioch College," 
which bears on its title page the name of " Ira W. 
Allen." 

The book opens, in the very second paragraph of its 
Preface, with a broadside upon me. From having been 
a man who had distended Mr. Allen's capacities of admi- 
ration, I had become one worthy of the most contume- 
lious epithets. This transformation was wrought, as he 
says, " in four years." It will be herein shown that it 
was wrought in four weeks; namely, in the summer of 
1857, between the time when he tried to get are-appoint- 
ment as my colleague on the College Faculty, and when 



38 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

lie found that there was not a single one of all the 
members retained in it, who would consent to serve with 
him. But for this pointed condemnation by his former 
colleagues, — by those who had been associated with him 
for years, and had possessed the best opportunity to un- 
mask him, — his book never would have been written. 

It will be observed that in the indictment itself, Mr. 
Allen virtually acquits me of having done aught amiss 
either by my open voice or visible hand j but he charges 
that, throughout my manifold iniquities, I have " con- 
cealed" myself" behind committees, agents and spies." 
The first fact, therefore, which an intelligent inquirer 
will look for is, the proof of the clandestine agency. Some 
connection between their conduct and my instigation of 
it must be discernible. I am not responsible for the 
poisonous flow of the river unless proved to be at least 
one of the fountain-heads. On any other hypothe- 
sis, Mr. Allen can number only fools among his disciples. 
Yet from the beginning to the end of the book, there is 
neither substance nor semblance of proof that I ever 
operated through any others, or by means of any 
others ; that I was brain and they muscles ; that I was 
main-spring and they wheels ; — I say that there is not 
one iota of proof of this, from the first to the last word in 
the book, except his own ever-recurring assertions and 
innuendoes. No overt acts are alleged ; no clandestine 
acts are proved. 

Again ; no face was ever more pitted with the small- 
pox than this book is with the signs and indicia of false- 
hood. The grossest, meanest offences are introduced 
under an " it was said," or " we do not know," or " we 
hope it was not so," or under some intimation of a divis- 
ion of plunder, Or some other scandalous imputation. 



mr. m ann's statement. 39 

True historians never write so. Only historic forgers 
resort to such authorities. 

Here, I make a collateral, but important remark. 
Everybody has heard of the financial embarrassments of 
Antioch College. Hostile relations have sprung up be- 
tween many of its scholarship-holders and its financial 
managers. Hence, suspicions, jealousies, respecting the 
administration of the Institution. Now the point to 
which I wish to call attention is this : have objectors 
sufficiently discriminated between its pecuniary and its 
educational administration ? For the latter, I acknowl- 
edge myself to a great extent responsible. For the 
former, not at all. I have never served on its Exec- 
utive Committees, and on no committee for the appoint- 
ment of agents or the settlement of accounts. The edu- 
cational department has demanded my utmost energies. 

Hence I am not responsible for the conduct of treas- 
urers or agents, or the application of funds. I was not 
a member of the Board of Trustees until after the College 
had become insolvent. My duties were then mainly con- 
fined to its literary and scientific side, and I know of no 
vote which I had ever given in that body, which I regret, 
or which can be impeached. 

I maintain, too, that neither the Faculty nor myself is 
in any way responsible for the host of evils which this 
book has inflicted upon the College and the " Christian " 
denomination. The fact that we could no longer associ- 
ate with Mr. Allen was painful to us, as it was disreputa- 
ble to him. But who, in the whole community, has ever 
heard us bruiting his misconduct abroad? Bad as it 
was, we should have suffered it to sleep. The publicity 
now given to it, he has invoked upon himself. 

When I took up this book, it would have been far too 



40 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

self-esteeming in me to suppose that my conduct, for five 
years, could wholly escape criticism. I had occupied a 
new and difficult position. My acts were necessarily 
conspicuous, — performed before thousands of spectators. 
These spectators brought me to different standards of 
judgment. What would command the approval of one, 
would bring down the condemnation of another. My 
judges, too, have been of all degrees of capacity. I have 
had a pupil withdrawn from the school because I would 
not so arrange the classes, as that all her lessons in ge- 
ography, arithmetic, spelling and grammar could be heard 
only by a teacher of the " Christian" denomination; and 
one of the Board of Trustees rebuked me for extrava- 
gance, because when the Senior and Junior classes were 
small, I would not join them together for recitations. 

But when I opened the book and saw my name scat- 
tered over all its pages, thick as flowers on a June prairie, 
and it seemed as though some evil spirit had crawled 
and slavered over every flower, leaving behind him his 
own vile fetor of dishonor and untruth, I felt a loathing 
and abhorrence for it, and the spirit that originated it, 
such as no language can describe. 

The representation of myself in that book has no like- 
ness to my own personal identity. I am not the man it 
portrays, nor of kindred to him. It represents me as 
animated by feelings which I never felt ; as having done 
scores of things which I never did, and as having plotted 
and prosecuted plans, schemes, machinations, such as 
never dwelt in my heart, such as never crossed the 
threshold of my heart, neither coming in nor going out. 
Had the mathematical professor mismatched every figure 
in the Multiplication Table and published it as " A Rec- 



MR. mann's statement. 41 

ord of Facts," he would oot have belied mathemat- 
ical truth any more than he has now belied moral truth. 

Such is the character of the pages, so far as they relate 
to me, which I propose now to consider. 

I cannot, however, undertake to deal with every indi- 
vidual falsehood, in all its details and ramifications. That 
would be like counting the army of Xerxes, soldier by 
soldier. I shall strike at the sensorium, and leave the 
limbs and organs to quiver and die at their leisure. 

First, then, independent of moral character, Mr. Al- 
len's book exemplifies the grossest faults of arrangement, 
order and logical sequence. In no instance does it de- 
fine a specific offence, array proofs, draw conclusions and 
then leave the subject. Accusations are made, followed 
by no proof. Inferences are drawn without any pre- 
ceding basis of fact. " If his premises had the small-pox, 
his conclusions wouldn't catch it." A few favorite, be- 
loved falsehoods, are introduced on all occasions, remind- 
ing one of the stock-perjurers haunting the purlieus of 
some Old Bailey Court, who hold themselves in readiness 
to swear t3 anything on any trial for a shilling an oath. 
Of this character are the iteration and reiteration, again 
and again, that I turned away Mrs. Holmes, that Elder 
Maple accused me of using him dishonorably, &c, &c. 

To all Mr. Allen's allegations that I had mismanaged 
the Institution and proved false to my trust, I oppose 
the fact, that Mr. Allen sought to be placed on the 
Faculty with me, and declared to my friends, that I was 
the most suitable person for the office of President, up to 
the time of his own ejection. My colleagues were will- 
ing to serve with me, but would not serve with him. 
The Board of Trustees appointed me, but he could not 



42 HE JOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

get an appointment either from them or from their com- 
mittee. 

And how was it with those outside of the Faculty ? 
Whom there does he arraign and charge with offences, 
such as would disgrace the inmate of a penitentiary ? 

This book condemns Elder Jacob Reeder, Elder Aus- 
tin Craig, Elder T. M. McWhinney, Elder O. J. Wait, 
Elder Eli Fay, Elder John B. Weston, &c, &c, as men 
utterly untruthful and unworthy of the Christian name. 
But, take these six gentlemen, persons widely known, of 
mature age, of firmly established character, and confront 
them face to face with Ira W. Allen. Can his word 
stand against their word? Will his character outweigh 
their character? Nay, will not any one of them coun- 
terpoise six or six hundred like him ? Should he 
rush against the solid structure of their reputation, he 
would be dashed in pieces. Should they lay the weight 
of their character and veracity upon him, it would grind 
him to powder. 

Take half a dozen of Mr. Allen's most intimate allies 
and co-adjutors in his work, and compare ^emjsvith the 
above named gentlemen ! 

And what character, what property in common, had 
the above named disinterested and impartial persons, 
that they should have brought down upon themselves 
this storm of vituperation ? They had one common 
quality and it was this : They had not promoted Mr. 
Allen's effort to be re-appointed on the Faculty, of 
which I was a member, but, after full inquiry they had 
opposed it. Had he thought of me then, as he now pre- 
tends he did, ought he not to have been grateful to them 
for such an escape ? 

The strategy of the book,— the plan of its campaign, — 



MR. mann's statement. 43 

is this : To cause it to be believed that I am hostile to 
the " Christians" as a religious body, and that I have la- 
bored, as it says, to " Unitarianize" the College. Now, 
could this point be secured as a strong-hold or citadel, 
the rest of the country would easily be conquered. 
Could this allegation be proved, I must be a hypocrite, 
for I have never failed to express my strong preference 
for the " Christian" platform over that of any other de- 
nomination whatever. 

On this point, therefore, my assailant was to concen- 
trate whatever forces he could levy, in either world. 

I shall now show from which world his recruits have 
been drawn ; show it by their armor, ensigns, war-cries; 
show how he has marshalled and led them on, and how 
many times some of them have been made to die in his 
cause. 

But before doing this, I wish in one brief sentence to 
purge myself before my " Christian" brethren. The al- 
legation, then, that I have ever felt either hostility or 
indifference towards the "Christian" platform; that I 
have ever, on any occasion, compromised the interests of 
our denomination ; that I have ever sought or desired to 
transfer Antioch College, in substance or form, to any 
other denomination, — all this I affirm to be as utter, as 
total and tee-total a falsehood as it is in the power of 
any intelligence, human or diabolic, to invent. 

And now, what is the nature of the proof adduced to es- 
tablish my treachery to the interests of our denomination? 

Since I have been here, I have published three Dis- 
courses, specially pertaining to the College, and its in- 
terests, educational, moral and religious. Is any traitor- 
ous or heretical doctrine or sentence brought forward 
from any of these ? For five years, I had never failed to 



44 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

take my turn in the Week-Day and Sabbath services of 
the Chapel. Imperfectly performed, I admit ; but from 
the great extent and variety of topics there introduced 
or discussed, does there arise one solitary whisper to con- 
demn me ? For about four years, I had the sole charge 
of the Sabbath School, — talcing the Scriptures in course., as 
far as I went. Did any enemy of the Bible ever find me 
on hisside ? I have taught Moral Philosophy and Natural 
Theology to each Senior Class. Did I ever scatter here- 
sies there ? All these printed pamphlets, I have reason 
to believe Mr. Allen read. A great majority of my Sab- 
bath Discourses he heard. Many of my Sunday School 
instructions he attended. Had I left an enemy in am- 
bush in any of all these places, would not Mr. Allen have 
found him and put a trumpet in his mouth and sent him 
blowing through all the camp of our Israel ? Why then, 
did not Mr. Allen resort to his invention in this field 
as well as in others ? Because, had he done so, he well 
knew that the whole Faculty, a thousand students and a 
multitude of other disinterested hearers would have 
shouted forth their denial. Nor had I been intent 
upon what he charges upon me, is it in human nature to 
suppose that I should have foregone all those opportuni- 
ties to accomplish, or at least to subserve my purpose ? 

But on the other hand, suppose a vindictive man to 
spurn all considerations of truth from his soul; suppose 
him to pass all falsehoods in review, intent only on select- 
ing the most damaging one, what accusation could he 
make, at once more plausible to strangers and more inju- 
rious to me, than to charge me with infidelity to the 
" Christian" denomination? And this for obvious rea- 
sons: 

1. Before coming here, I wrote frankly to the Com- 



MR. mann's statement. 45 

mittee or Board that elected me, telling them that my 
religious associations had long been with the Unitarians. 
Never having lived in a community of " Christians," I 
had preferred the Unitarians to any other of the so-call- 
ed liberal bodies. This fact being generally known, 
there would be a kind of plausibility in the falsehood 
that I still retained my former preferences. 

2. There are many " Christians" who have a strong 
jealousy of the Unitarians, and the infusion of suspi- 
cion into their minds would alienate them from me. 

3. All good men know and lament how prone even 
professedly religious men are to accept and believe this 
sort of imputation on another's character, especially if 
their pecuniary interests are in any way involved in the 
question. 

How then could my assailant find a more cheap or ef- 
fective weapon in all the arsenals of falsehood than to 
charge me with unfaithfulness to the " Christian" broth- 
erhood ? 

And what form does the charge assume ? This, name- 
ly, that certain teachers who were once here, are not 
here now ; but, as it is averred, have been driven away 
by me. He does not name all the teachers who have 
been here, nor half of them, but makes a special se- 
lection adapted to his sinister purpose. Were I to draw 
up Mr. Allen's argument for him in a logical and intelli- 
gible form, which he has nowhere done, it would stand 
thus : — Certain teachers have been sent to Antioch who 
are not there now. These teachers were specially devot- 
ed to the " Christian" cause, namely, Mr. Doherty, Mr. 
McKinney, Mr. and Mrs. Holmes, Mr. Allen, Mr. Bur- 
lingame, Miss Shaw and Miss Chamberlain, now Mrs. 
Burlingame. These teachers Mr. Mann wrongfully drove 



46 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

away. Ergo, Mr. Mann is hostile to the " Christian" de- 
nomination. Is not this the length, breadth and thick- 
ness of it ? 

But were these the only teachers who have been here 
and left? Not half. Witness Messrs. Craig, Pennell, 
Zachos, Hoyt, Kelton, Coburn, Sobieski, and Webber, 
(the latter introduced to us through Messrs. Allen and 
Burlingame,) and Misses Gallant, Ballou, Dorr, and 
Eastman, — twelve against eight. 

Why this suppression of the truth, which according to 
the old legal axiom, is equivalent to the assertion of 
falsehood. And are not Messrs. Craig and Coburn as 
sound " Christians" as Mr. Doherty who came here, al- 
most directly from the pastorship of a Unitarian Church 
in Rochester, N. Y., or as Mr. Allen himself, who recent- 
ly told Elder John Ellis of Dayton, Editor of the Gospel 
Herald, that if he were not successful in the present con- 
troversy, he could join the Presbyterians? Mr. Kelton 
also has always been understood here to be a " Chris- 
tian." So that Mr. Allen left out almost as many 
" Christians" from his list as he included. But the 
omitted were friendly to the College and to me, and 
therefore it did not suit his purpose to name them. 

He left it to be inferred too, that all of his list were 
members of the " Christian" Church. But this was not 
true of Mrs. Holmes, Mr. Burlingame or Miss Chamber- 
lain. So that we find his very premises to be untrue. 

But did I turn away the teachers included in his list? 
Nor one OF them. Had religious reasons anything to 
do with their leaving? Not in the case of a single 

ONE OF THEM. 

As this is his main argument, I will consider it and 
annihilate it piece-meal. 



MR. mann's statement. 47 

Did I turn Mr. Doherty away ? He, like every other 
member of the Faculty, myself included, was voted out 
of office, at the time of the assignment, — the College hav- 
ing no means to pay salaries. Up to that time, no word 
of conflict had ever passed between Mr. Doherty and me, 
but upon one occasion, and that only three or four days 
before ; and he subsequently acknowledged to me that 
his complaint had been founded on a misapprehension. 
As everybody here knows, the reason of Mr. Doherty's 
non-re- appointment was the almost universal remon- 
strance of the College classes against him. I never saw 
the remonstrance against him; never instigated nor en- 
couraged it. The book does not contain one particle of 
evidence that connects me with that affair. When the 
question was finally decided by the committee, I was hun- 
dreds of miles away, and no correspondence ever passed 
between them and myself on the subject. 

Both parts of the charge, therefore fail ; that I turned 
Mr. Doherty away, and that he left for religious reasons. 
I do not mean to say that, after the very decided and al- 
most universal expression by the students of his unfit- 
ness for his place, I should have been in favor of his 
re-instatement. This, however, is a very different ques- 
tion. 

Did I turn Mr. McKinney away, and for religious rea- 
sons ? Let the party alleged to have suffered the injury 
testify. Mr. McKinney knew that ill-minded men had 
attributed his leaving to me. On several public occa- 
sions, therefore, he made open, public denial of that al- 
legation, fully exonerating me from the charge. In par- 
ticular, on the 29th day of October, 1857, at a Convention 
held at Franklin, 0., Mr. McKinney repeated the state- 
ment. Mr. Allen was present and heard it. But lest 



48 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

his oral denial should not reach everybody who had 
heard the falsehood, he published the following card in 
the Gospel Herald, January 7th, 1858 : 

" Br. Maple. — I am informed that there are those 
who state that I was forced to leave my Chair in Antioch 
College, in consequence of religious opposition. This is 
incorrect; not one word of truth in it. Nor was I driven 
away. It was the regret of all, I believe, that I left when 
I did. Up to the time of my retiring, there had been, so 
far as I know, harmony of feeling in matters of religion, 
between the members of the Faculty and myself. 

I hope this will put to rest, now, and forever, such re- 
port, if in circulation, which is without truth or founda- 
tion in fact. For my leaving the College, I alone am re- 
sponsible. I repeat for myself and no one else. 

[Signed,] A. L. McKinney. 

Troy, 0., Nov. 21, 1857. 

Any reader of Mr. Allen's book cannot fail to see how 
studiously he conned the Gospel Herald. Could he have 
failed to see this card ? At any rate, he heard the oral 
statement in the Franklin Convention. What shall be 
thought of a man who, after this positive knowledge, 
could assert or insinuate that I caused Mr. McKinney's 
removal, and because he was a "Christian ?" 

One word more on this point : If Mr. McKinney, in 
my presence, will now say that we ever had any such dis- 
agreement on religious grounds, and that I drove him 
away, I will withdraw all objection not only to this false- 
hood but to all the falsehoods in Mr. Allen's book ; — and 
did ever mortal man offer so large a concession ? 

Was Mr. Holmes driven away from Antioch College, 
and by me? 

Of all the evils engendered or occasioned by Ira W. 
Allen, there is none I more deeply deplore than the new 
and false relation he created between the Rev. Thomas 



mr. m ann's statement. 4£ 

Holmes and myself. Mr. Holmes was a gentleman of 
the liveliest religious sensibilities. He co-operated with 
me in all my plans to make Antioch College, in point of 
moral and religious character, a model Institution. On 
a great variety of subjects we sympathized strong^, so 
that, on the briefest acquaintance, our spirits ran togeth- 
er like two drops of water. But for the dark shadow of 
Ira W. Allen, not a cloud or a vapor would ever have 
come between us. 

Fortunately, most abundant means exist for showing 
who was Mr. Holmes' first and only enemy in Antioch 
College, — Ira W. Allen himself. 

Soon after Mr. Allen's arrival here, he began speaking 
to me, privately, of Mr. Holmes' incapacity to be a 
teacher. He affirmed, again and again, not only that 
Mr. Holmes was no teacher, but that he could never 
make one. These views, I earnestly combated. At 
length he referred me to some class papers which 
he said, Mr. Burlingame had obtained from Mr. 
Holmes, and had exhibited to him. I replied that even 
supposing present deficiencies in Mr. Holmes' classical 
attainments, he had the power of rapid acquisition, he 
had diligence, and he would soon supply them ; and 
further, that I hoped, before long, he would visit Europe, 
and render himself a distinguished scholar in his depart- 
ment. Mr. Allen persisted that no study in Europe and 
no amount of practice would ever qualify him for a Pro- 
fessor ; that his defects were radical and organic; and 
then he brought another story about more errors in class 
papers found by Mr. Burlingame, and exhibited to him. 
All these stories about the papers, Mr. Holmes declares 
to be in spirit untrue. 
5 



50 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

I solemnly affirm that Mr. Allen's repeated declarations 
and specifications of proof respecting Mr. Holmes incom- 
petency were the first and among the strongest reasons that 
induced me to urge a visit to Europe upon Mr. Holmes. 

Hear Prof. Pennell's testimony upon this subject. 
The following are his words copied, from among many 
things, in a statement now lying before me : 

<: Very soon after Mr. Allen's return from Europe, he 
began to make unfavorable criticisms on Mr. Holmes. 
At a later period he repeatedly said to me, that Mr. 
Holmes was utterly incompetent for his position ; that 
he had become convinced of this fact when he first met 
him at West Newton, [Mass.,] some months before the 
opening of the College; that he was now confirmed in 
these opinions by the statements of students, and especi- 
ally by what Mr. Burlingame had told him of Mr. Holmes' 
errors in writing or correcting his Greek exercises, and 
he affirmed further, that no amount of opportunity for 
study could ever fit him for his place. These statements 
were repeated to me by Mr. Allen with particular dis- 
tinctness during the meeting of the Trustees at which 
Mr. Holmes asked leave of absence. 

" It is my opinion that Mr. Allen was the principal 
agent in initiating the steps which led to all that was un- 
pleasant in Mr. Holmes' departure. During all this 
period, I frequently heard Mr. Mann express his confi- 
dence in Mr. Holmes' usefulness and ultimate success." 

The following is Mr. Fay's statement on the same sub- 
ject : 

11 In the latter part of the winter of 1855 I attended a 
meeting of the Trustees of the College, held in the Col- 
lege buildings. It was understood very early in the 
meeting that a resolution would be presented granting 



mr. m ann's statement. 51 

Prof. Holmes leave of absence for one year to enable him 
to qualify himself more fully for the Greek Chair which 
he was then filling. Mr. I. W. Allen knew that such a 
resolution would be presented, as he helped to shape that 
matter himself, and he learned that I intended to vote 
against it. He immediately sought me out and took me 
into a room with himself alone, and labored with me for 
a full half hour to induce me to vote for that resolution. 
He told me that he and Mr. Burlingame had been watch- 
ing Mr. Holmes, and that they had detected him in a 
great many mistakes in his recitations. He showed me 
a paper on which he said the mistakes were recorded, and 
he assured me over and over again that Mr. Holmes was 
not qualified for his Chair. He said Mr. Holmes must 
certainly leave for a time. I asked him what should be 
done with Prof. Holmes' Chair. He replied: 'I will 
take it. You know that I preferred the Greek from the 
first.' I then asked what should be done with his, 
(Allen's) Chair, and he replied: ' Holmes can take it. He 
can go to Cambridge and prepare for the Mathematical 
Chair in four months. He is better fitted for Mathema- 
tics than for Greek.' During that visit to Yellow 
Springs Mr. Allen said far more to me against Mr. 
Holmes as a Professor than all others, and manifested 
more anxiety to have him leave Yellow Springs. 
May 24, 1859. E. Fay." 

What ought to be done to the neck of a cuckoo, which 
after fraudulently laying its own vile eggs in the nest of 
a sparrow for incubation, then charges upon the latter 
the offence of begetting its own illegitimate progeny. 

Elder Pike of Newburyport, Messrs. Fay, Weston and 
others know that I was in favor of having Mr. Holmes 
come back to the College after his return from Europe 



52 HE JOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Thus much respecting my driving Mr. Holmes abroad 
because he was a " Christian." 

In regard to Mrs. Holmes, the case is still worse for 
my accuser. 

1st. She was not a member of the " Christian" Church, 
and 2nd, she was never dismissed. 

Let this latter fact be borne in mind by the reader, 
while he remembers how repeatedly and persistently the 
book avers or implies that she was dismissed ; how her 
" bright hopes were blasted," and on page 17, this is 
called a " fiendish act." 

The truth is this: The committee on Teachers con- 
sisted of four members, of which I was one. This com- 
mittee made a special agreement with Mrs. Holmes to 
teach for one year, and one year only. She was engaged 
too, on probation, with an express agreement, that if sat- 
isfaction were not given, the contract was not to be re- 
newed. 

Satisfaction was not given. At the close of the year, 
the head of the Preparatory Department, Prof. Zachos, 
drew up a list of specifications against her, which was 
presented to the committee. This paper is still extant, 
and can be seen by any one who has any reasonable 
curiosity to see it. On page 17th Mr. Allen says, " No 
true and valid reasons [for her dismission] have ever 
been or can be adduced." Prof. Zachos gives the rea- 
sons. 

Nor did I ever give any " assurances" that Mrs. Holmes 
should be retained, irrespective of conduct, and of the 
probationary terms on which she was engaged. See pp. 
17, 88, 90. 

On this point, Mr. Fay states : 

"J was a member of the committee on Teachers, at the 



MR. mann's statement. 53 

time Mrs. Holmes was engaged, and the contract with 
her was made by me. 

She was engaged on probation. It was expressly un- 
derstood and often repeated, that if satisfaction were not 
given, the contract was not to be renewed. And I never 
made any pledges to Mr. or Mrs. Holmes which conflict- 
ed in the least with that contract, or which annulled it 
in any respect. Eli Fay." 

But what gives this case its peculiar hue of blackness 
is this : Notwithstanding all the book now says to arouse 
public sympathy in behalf of Mrs. Holmes and to hold 
Mr. Allen aloft, as doing chivalrous knight-service in 
her defence, yet while she was still a teacher and before 
the present occasion arose, he was himself the most fre- 
quent of all her accusers, and the most severe in his con- 
demnation of her conduct. Again and again did he 
present her misdoings before the Faculty, and used lan- 
guage which if justified by her acts would prove her un- 
worthy of her place, and would amply vindicate the com- 
mittee on Instruction for refusing to renew the engage- 
ment with her. Hear what Prof. Pennell says on this 
point : 

" The first complaint concerning Mrs. Holmes which I 
heard, was presented to the Faculty by Mr. Allen. The 
Faculty made him the bearer of a message to her, after 
which he reported that she was ' contumacious,' and that 
he had, after speaking repeatedly, locked her room, taken 
the key from the door and placed it in the office." 

Mr. Zachos, in a letter to me, testifies as follows : 

" I thought it my duty at the time, [at the expiration 
of her year,] to make objections to Mrs. Holmes as a 
Teacher in my Department, and subject to my control, 
and at your special request, I reduced these objections to 
writing. 



54 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

"On the only two or three occasions on which the con- 
duct of Mrs. Holmes was arraigned before the Faculty as 
to her observance of certain regulations of the Prepara- 
tory Department, Mr. Allen was the chief accuser and 
loudest complainant; and I may add, was the chief suf- 
ferer from the annoyance which her disregard of those 
regulations imposed on others." 

Mr. Pennell also makes the following statement : 

" Mr. Allen, about this time, made repeated and bitter 
accusations against Mrs. Holmes. I am surprised that 
Mr. Allen, after taking the active part he did in con- 
demning and reproving Mrs. Holmes, should now claim 
to have been her friend." 

It is this condemner of Mrs. Holmes who is now my 
condemner for the "fiendish act" of dismissing her, 
although she was not dismissed at all ; and for dismiss- 
ing her too, from religious antipathies, when, whether 
dismissed or not, religious opinions had nothing to do 
with the case ; and among all the objectors to her, he 
was foremost. 

Before Mr. Allen had been here six months, he began 
plying Mr. Fay, (then in New-York) with letters " strict- 
ly confidential," but most hostile to me. 

On page 12 of the book, he quotes from a letter of 
Mr. Fay, as follows : 

" Now, Sir, I desire to write to Mr. Mann myself and 
tell him that you and Professor Holmes and lady, and 
Mr. Burlingame and Miss Shaw agree in thinking that 
partiality has been shown to those teachers who were re- 
commended by himself and Miss Pennell, (now Mrs. A. 
S. Dean,) also that it is the belief of the whole, that 
teachers from the Christians are treated with disrespect, 
and that they do not intend longer tamely to submit to 
it,' 1 &c, &c. 



mr. m ann's statement. 55 

And about the 20th of May (1855) I received a letter 
from Mr. Fay, making, among many others, the allegation 
as found in Mr. Fay's letter on p. 14, and affirming that 
" Prof. Allen, Mr. Burlingame and Miss Shaw do not 
consider their positions pleasant or desirable." Mr. Fay 
gave me no intimation in this letter, as to his authority. 

Being unable to conceive of any reason why they, or 
any other parties should complain, I called on Mr. Bur- 
lingame and Miss Shaw, (I shall speak of my interview 
with Mr. Allen, by and by,) and made known my errand. 
Both denied, in the fullest manner, that they had ever 
authorized any person to make any such representation 
respecting them. I requested them to put their state- 
ments in writing, and the subjoined are exact copies of 
what they then wrote. Four days after Mr. Burlin- 
game's first note, he wrote me another, a little more full 
on one point. Both follow : 

" AntiocK College, May 25t7i, 1855. 

Hon. Horace Mann, — Dear Sir : — In compliance 
with your request, I take pleasure in stating that our in- 
tercourse, of a social nature, has always been agreeable, 
and that I consider the government of the Institution 
salutary and efficient. Yours very respectfully, 

[Signed,] H. D. Burlingame." 

Gent's Hall, May 29th. 
Hon. Horace Mann — Dear Sir, — In compliance with 
your request, I cheerfully state that our intercourse of a 
social nature, has always been agreeable; and I am con- 
fident that I have never said, nor authorized any person 
to say that, owing to the mal -administration of the Col- 
lege, my position was unpleasant and undesirable. 
Yours very truly 
[Signed.] H. D. Burlingame. 



56 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE] 

Copy of Miss Shaw's Letter. 
"Whatever statements have been made with regard to my 
position as a teacher in Antioch College being an un- 
pleasant one, resulting from circumstances over which Mr. 
Mann, or any other member of the Faculty has had con- 
trol, I wish the person by whom such a statement was 
made to Mr. Mann, to know that I cherish no unpleasant 
feelings toward any one connected with the Institution's 
government; since I have never had cause to complain of 
the treatment I have received from any one connected 
with it, or of the confliction of the Institution's disci- 
pline, either with my personal feelings or ideas of justice - 
and whenever I may withdraw myself from my connec- 
tion with it, it will be w iththe feeling that no unpleasant 
misunderstandings, and no ill-will on the part of any, 
has been the cause of whatever unhappiness I may have 
experienced during that connection. " 

[ Signed, ] Letitia J. Shaw." 

The assertion, therefore, that Miss Shaw was turned 
away or even dissatisfied, is utterly false ; I never had an 
unpleasant word with her, or any but kind feelings towards 
her ; she gave good satisfaction as a teacher, and I was 
very sorry she did not continue with us. 

The book adds, p. 15: "The reader will therefore no- 
tice t that Mr. Fay informed Mr. Mann, 'that there had 
been a general uneasiness among all the teachers ever 
sent there by the Christians," &c. 

This is denied by Mr. Burlingame and Miss Shaw, in 
the above notes. Thus Mr. Allen fills Mr. Fay with his 
own fabrications and then quotes the echo of them from 
Mr. Fay, to prove their truth. We have heard of reasoning 
in a circle ; this is falsifying in a circle. 



MR. MANN'S STA1EMENT. 57 

Before the close of the year Mr. Burlingame's rela- 
tions were so fully developed that -when the proposition 
was made in the Trustees' meeting, to supersede Mr. 
Zachosand appoint him, I opposed the change. I opposed 
it, because I believed the best interests of the College for- 
bade it; I opposed it not with passion or temper, but with 
reason and argument, as became my position and the 
merits of the case. 

After the adjournment, one of the Trustees told me 
that the meeting had been packed, that neither he nor 
several others of the Trustees would have been present 
but for the purpose of superseding Mr. Zachos. They 
had been clandestinely tampered with and summoned for 
that special end. 

A long story is told about Miss Chamberlain, now Mr3. 
Burlingame. I shall make a short one of it. She was 
employed through Mr. Burlingame's agency and recom- 
mendation, he withholding from their committee the pri- 
vate relations to each other. Neither of them were mem- 
bers of the Christian Church. If Christians have been 
made to believe that either Mr. Burlingame or Miss 
Chamberlain came here as their representatives, they have 
been imposed upon. 

Doubtless he induced the committee to employ her in 
view of a bride, but that bride was not the Church. 

On page 21, it is said that I wrote her a " letter in- 
forming her of her appointment, with my own hand," 
thereby implying my responsibility for that appoint- 
ment. I knew nothing of her or her appointment, un- 
til the New-York members of the committee, to whom 
Mr. Burlingame applied in her behalf, ( and his own, ) 
had engaged her, and had requested me to notify her, 



58 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

which I did, but merely as an official act. As soon as 
she came, the motives of Mr. B. in securing the engage- 
ment developed. 

Page 22nd, is covered with falsehoods respecting Miss 
Chamberlain. It says that the resolution which the 
committee passed was not intended to apply to Miss 
Chamberlain, which it was; but was intended to apply to 
certain other teachers named, which it was not. 

Miss Chamberlain was employed to teach German and 
French ; she began with the German, and proved herself 
utterly incompetent. For proof of this let her class be in- 
quired of. Nay, let Mr. Allen himself be inquired of. 
Throughout his whole statement of her case, on page 22, 
23, and again, on page 34, he speaks as though she was 
' abundantly qualified; ' of her ' surprise' at the sugges- 
tion by the committee of an examination; of his telling 
me that he regarded the conduct of the committee with 
'abhorrence,' 'that no teacher having the least self-re- 
spect could submit to such indignity,' and that he 'would 
not take part in a transaction of such inhuman cruelty.' 
He never used any sueh language to me, but it would be 
so much the worse for him if he had ; for a note of his 
now before me, shows that he knew all about the dissat- 
isfaction with her, of her German class, and their fears 
that she would not be able to teach French. Mr. Allen 
was on the committee for preparing the programme for 
the ensuing term, and, Nov. 26th, 1855, he wrote to me 
as follows : " I was appointed to learn their wishes, [ the 
wishes of the class, about studying German,] and in learn- 
ing their desires I learned also the state of their minds 
towards their teacher, Miss Chamberlain." 

"I find that they have but little confidence in her ac- 



MR. mann's statement. 59 

curacy in German; and that they are somewhat fearful 
that she may not be perfectly accurate in French." And 
he then goes on to speak of points in which lie himself 
knew her to be inaccurate. Thus, with all his desire to 
adapt himself to Mr. Burlingame's wishes and to defend 
a protegee, these two facts were put on record by him- 
self at the time ; that he had personal knowledge of her 
deficiencies and of the dissatisfaction of her pupils with 
her teaching. 

The truth is, the dissatisfaction of the class was extreme 
and Miss Chamberlain never would have been brought 
here but as the prospective Mrs. Burlingame. 

Thus evaporate all the false exhalations from Mr. 
Allen's brain about my attempts to Unitarianize the 
College, by driving away the Christian teachers. Mr. 
Doherty was excluded by the remonstrance of the stu- 
dents which I neither instigated nor encouraged. Mr. 
McKinney left for his own reasons. I desired that Mr. 
Holmes and Miss Shaw should continue as teachers. Mrs. 
Holmes, Mr Burlingame and his wife, never represented 
the "Christians" in the College. On the other hand, 
Dr. Craig, Mr. Kelton and Mr. Coburn, as true friends 
as the "Christian" cause ever had, have left the College, 
its friends, and I trust, my friends. 

But whether a man joins or leaves the College, it must 
be from a wrong motive, and 1 must be the instigator. 

Pages 9 and 10 charge Dr. Warriner with joining the 
Church to obtain a Professorship, and that I was acces- 
sory to the sin. The number of untruths is just equal 
to the number of the charges. 

Page 10, professes to recite a conversation between. 
Prof. H. C. Badger, (then a student,) and myself. On this 
Mr. Badger observes: — 



60 REJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

"The statements on page 10 of Mr. Allen's so called 
'History,' referring to an interview between Mr. Mann 
and myself in the presence of Mr. Allen, I feel called 
upon to brand as a falsehood. An interview did occur, 
but the statement above mentioned so far as relates to 
the part taken by Mr. Mann and Mr. Allen, is a ma- 
licious misrepresentation. 

[Signed.] H. C. Badger." 

Here, for brevity's sake, I may as well speak of his 
other representations of interviews between us. 

When I first heard of Mr. Fay's startling list of char- 
ges, part of which are on page 14, I called on Mr. Allen 
in a private and friendly way; for I then had no knowl- 
edge that he was their author, and I had no conception of 
the dimensions of his iniquity. He had met me every day, 
often several times a day. He visited at my house. He al- 
ways accosted me with the same starched smile, and gen- 
erally offered his hand to me twice, — both at meeting and 
at parting. But during all this time I had not allowed my- 
self to suspect that there was venom under his tongue, and 
a dagger in his sleeve. At our interview he was mealy 
mouthed and deprecatory. He asserted that he had never 
written but two or three letters to Mr. Fay, on College 
affairs, and said he should be willing to have me see their 
contents. Our conversation was long, and it closed with 
a promise on his part that he would never take that course 
again ; but that if, in future, he should have occasion to 
take any exceptions to my conduct, he would speak of 
it first of all to me, in private. We shook hands and 
parted. He forthwith reclaimed all his letters from Mr. 
Fay, that proof of his treachery might be suppressed, 
and he then immediately began to create and bring into 



MR. mann's statement. 61 

line that long drawn procession of falsehoods to Mr. 
Fessenden, which ended in his giving Mr. Fessenden 
and Mr. Weston that astounding lesson in the theory and 
practice of lying, which places him in the foremost rank 
in that department, — the Paul Morphy of his class. 

Not satisfied with this course of conduct towards me, 
it is consistent with his notions of honor to go out of 
his way to disparage Mrs. Mann. 

During his five weeks' illness, Mrs. Mann proffered 
him every comfort our house afforded, and even the house 
itself; and she took charge, without the thought of com- 
pensation, of his German class. He says also that I 
made him " daily calls." 

On his recovery, he wrote Mrs. Mann a note, of which 
the first paragraph is as follows : 

" Mrs. Mann : — It has given me much pleasure and 
quietude of mind, during the sickness and convalesence 
of the past few weeks, to know that my German class 
has heen so fortunate as to enjoy your instructions." 

But in his book, p. 13, he says, that "not many days 
elapsed" after Mrs. Mann took the class, "before some 
of the class called on me and wished me a speedy re- 
covery, for said they, — we have no ambition to study or 
carefully prepare our lessons under the directions of Mrs. 
Mann." He then gives her a slur in regard to French, 
and adds, p. 14, that " Mrs. Mann did not win laurels in 
the German department, as was evident when I again 
took the class, about five weeks after I was taken sick." 

Mr. Allen may have his option, whether this palpable 
contradiction lies in his complimentary note to Mrs. 
Mann, or whether it lies in his book, — the compliment 
and the slur being equally indifferent. 



62 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

It is perhaps due to Mr. Allen to say, that after Mrs. 
Mann declined receiving any compensation for her trou- 
ble, Mr. Allen presented her with a small book, on the 
fly leaf of which the price was carefully marked in his 
own hand writing, and especially noticeable because it 
was a very large price for so small a book. 

Mr. Allen makes great parade of the amount of his 
labor. He had no more labor than any other member 
of the Faculty, and when on a special emergency he 
was solicited to take a German class, he refused to do 
so, unless he could have extra pay, — pay beyond the reg- 
ular pro rata allowance. This he extorted and received. 

In further illustration of the generosity and justice 
with which he treated College property, I may quote a 
passage from a letter from Mr. Knapp, the steward, in re- 
lation to his quartering himself on the College, without 
ever making an offer of remuneration, or even of ac- 
knowledgment for personal kindness. This letter was 
addressed by Mr. Knapp to Mr. Allen. The following 
passage is from a copy made by Mr Knapp : 

" You Sir, [Mr. Allen,] are the last person that ought 
to complain of College losses. You, when sick, for four or 
more weeks, lived on the Hall altogether ; commanding 
the kitchen, the stores, the servants, the wash-house, 
for which you made no remuneration at all. 

"I know of no other person connected with the Col- 
lege who ever took anything without paying for it, and 
hence I do not wonder that the charges against Mr. Mann 
and myself come from you. I know not what course 
Mr. Mann intends to take in regard to this matter ; but I 
know that your malicious slanders deserve that public 
exposure which you will soon get if you do not give 
some immediate evidence of repentance and reformation." 



MR. mann's statement. 63 

Pages 16 and 17, suggest that I objected to Mr. Ap- 
pleget, as Steward, because of his want of " polish and 
refinement," but that I have recently interposed to secure 
his return, hoping that the last step may conciliate the 
good will which the former had alienated. 

All this is sheer fabrication. No person ever heard 
me utter a disparaging remark against Mr. Appleget, for 
his want of " polish and refinement," or for any other 
cause. Nor had I aught to do with his re-appointment 
— that matter being out of my jurisdiction, — otherwise 
than to wish him well and do what I could for his success. 

The absurdities and misrepresentations of the 19th 
and 20th pages, can be disposed of in a word. 

On opening the College, as we had no Chaplain, 
nor any means to pay one's salary, the members of the 
Faculty agreed among themsehes to conduct the relig- 
ious services of the week-days and of the Sabbath, in turn. 
This was done the first year without objection from any 
one. The second year, on Mr. Allen's joining us, he 
said he was new in his classes, and would like to be ex- 
cused for the first term. We readily acceded, and per- 
formed his share of the services for him. He then came 
into the arrangement and performed his part of the ser- 
vice for a time, — reading sermons from books ; for, both 
writing and extemporizing he judiciously avoided. After 
a short trial, however, he began to complain, and, at 
last, intimated refusal. It was then that the conver- 
sation occurred to which he refers, and which, and my 
motive in regard to which, he so egregiously misrepre- 
sents. The substance of it was this : I urged the indis- 
pensableness of religious exercises for the spiritual well- 



REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 64 

being of our students, that, without them, youth would 
first forget their duties to God, and then their duties to 
men and to themselves ; that the College had no funds 
for the support of a Chaplain ; that his own influence as 
a teacher would be aided by his public recognition of 
this duty, which ought to be a pleasure and not a bur- 
den ; and that I did not think^that any person ought to 
hold himself up before the young as a guide and as an 
example, who was not willing, in such ways, to avow his 
interest in the cause of religion. He referred to his 
week-day duties. I replied that there was not a Profes- 
sor in the College whose duties were not as arduous as 
his, (on the supposition that each was equally well qual- 
ified, and) that any rule which would exempt him would 
exempt us all. I then asked him what expedient he 
would suggest to meet such an exigency. He coolly replied 
that there was an obvious way by which the services could 
be performed and he still be excused, — that the other 
members of the Faculty could do the whole and let him off ! 

Surely a man capable of making such a selfish sug- 
gestion offers one strong argument why he should not 
engage in any religious services. 

On p. 19, he speaks of his " conscientious scruples 
against turning the sacred desk into a rostrum for lec- 
tures on Physiology," &c. The only lecture on Physi- 
ology we ever had in the Chapel, on Sunday, was deliv- 
ered there by his friend, Mr. Burlingame. 

I shall make brief work of a letter of six pages, (25 
to 31) purporting to have been written by Mr. Gr. L. 
Salsbury, though any person who knows him, and reads 
the letter, will know that, as there printed, it was never 
written by him. When a single shot, striking between 



mr. m ann's statement. 65 

wind and water, and letting day-light through a piratical 
craft, is sufficient to sink it, it is useless to expend ammu- 
nition on the masts and rigging. 

On p. 28, Mr. S. is made to say: "He himself, [Mr. 
Mann,] did not spend at the College, for the first three 
or four years, actually more than three months per year, 
but was off attending to his own business, and lecturing 
at fifty dollars a lecture." 

Now here is a specific allegation. No condition is at- 
tached. It is not spoken of as hearsay. It is positively 
affirmed. Mr. Salsbury's name is attached. 

What means had Mr. Salsbury of knowing such a 
fact, had it existed ? The same letter shows that he was 
here but one year. His previous residence was remote. 
He was not living in any place, nor engaged in any bu- 
siness that would make him specially acquainted with my 
journeys or sojourns. Yet he makes this positive declar- 
ation, covering a period of "three or four years," respect- 
ing me and my occupation. 

Now, like all Lecturers, as I suppose, I keep memo- 
randa of places and times, where and when I lecture. 
And I here aver that, according to these memoranda, the 
whole number of times I lectured, during term time, with- 
in the three years, which come up to 1856, the time 
when Mr. Salsbury left, was— Forty. That is, I lectured 
forty evenings, while, according to his assertion, I must 
have been away, during the three years, (not to say four,) 
nearly eighteen months. 

Most of the places I lectured at, in term time, were near 
by, with the exception of once when I went to New- 
York, and once when I went to Boston, on College busi- 
ness at my own expense. With the exception of the above, 
my visits to remote places were in vacation. 



66 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

I also affirm, that during the whole time since I came 
to the College in 1853, I have never been absent " at- 
tending to my own business," for so much as a day at a 
time, and then only on a visit to some neighboring city, 
for domestic purposes. If I chose to claim credit from 
such a source, I could easily prove that I have lost thou- 
sands of dollars by neglecting my own business, through 
my fidelity to College duties. 

For what reason, then, has Mr. Gr. L. S. fabricated this 
falsehood ! Is his name Gulliver? and does the "L" 
stand for Longbow ? No wonder he could, as he says, 
" graduate in a year." 

Let us look at this matter. By his own showing, he 
was here but a year. How did he know what I did the 
year before, or the year after ? He being absent, how 
did he know how much I was present? Did Mr. Allen 
tell him ? The first year Mr. Allen was not here, and if 
anybody told him so, it was hearsay. There is but one 
solutio. It is equal audacity and mendacity. 

And what I submit is, that if Mr . Salsbury should give 
such testimony, under such circumstances, in a court of 
law, not a juror would believe either it, or anything else 
he should say. The court would lay down such rules of 
law and morals, as would discard it, the spectators woul d 

hoot at it. 

I simply add that the other statements and insinua- 
tions contained in this letter, about Mr. Blake's or Miss 
Wilmarth's coming here through my influence; about the 
young ladies having liberty to board themselves in their 
rooms; about my not preferring that the students should 
board in Commons, rather than to board elsewhere ; 
about my hostility, or indifference to the interests of the 
"Christian" denomination, &c, &c, are, singly and 
collectively, the spurious coin of the same mint. 



MR. mann's statement. 67 

Horribly shocking as it is, yet after such a letter, writ- 
ten by such a man to such a man and for such a purpose, 
it was perfectly fitting and proper for Mr. Salsbury to 
cap the climax of atrocity, by signing himself, " Your 
brother in Christ." The truth would have compelled 
him, previous to the last word, to insert anti. 

There is also a letter on p. 155, purporting to come 
from Mrs. Salsbury, in which the old story of hostility 
to the " Christians" is introduced. In all this, she proves 
herself to be Mr. Salsbury's " help-meet." 

Having now sufficiently shown what the spirit, the an- 
imus of Mr. Allen's book is, space and time alike forbid 
my noticing, in detail, those scores of insinuations and 
innuendoes, which he has scattered over its pages, with- 
out proof, or similitude, or pretence of proof. To examine 
them in detail, to comment upon and expose them, one 
by one, would be a task like that of dissecting all the 
venomous serpents on a continent, and exhibiting fang 
and poison-sac, of each individual. To an intelligent 
inquirer, the exhibition of one of a kind will be suffi- 
cient. I pass, therefore, to an imputation of special 
baseness, on p. 71 ; namely, that I am a defaulter in re- 
gard to library moneys. 

The committee to examine my accounts was appointed 
at my request. Even previously to that, I had done what 
I could, to procure a settlement, but owing to delays, 
not within my control, it had been postponed. The 
money deposited with me had long before been expended, 
except a small sum reserved for the purchase of necessa- 
ry works, or for very valuable ones, as they might ap- 
pear. As off-set and security for the small balance, if 
any, in my hands, the College was owing me thousands 
of dollars, and what possible motive, under such circum. 



68 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

stances, could I have for delay ? The committee declare 
in their report, that I exhibited to them vouchers for 
nearly all the money I had received, and that they, the 
committee, not I, had not time to investigate the case 
more fully. The report gives no intimation that all was 
not right. The books were on the shelves of the library, 
where Mr. Allen had seen and used them for years. Yet 
on this state of facts, this wretch insinuates a want of 
fidelity and honesty on my part, and asks flippantly, 
" Why talk about $5,500, when so much larger sums 
have been tossed about like playthings." All this, too, 
he does, when he well enough knew that my salary, even 
if it had been paid, would not, with the utmost economy . 
more than have met the expenses of my position. He 
knew also, that in addition to five years of service, I had 
just given five thousand dollars for the redemption of 
the College. Facts like these, laid over the blackness of 
common guilt, would turn it white by contrast. 

From p. 37, onward to what Mr. Allen calls "Part 
Second," — though with his usual want of logic and order, 
he has no " Part First," — there is a studied effort, con- 
tinued through more than sixty pages, and designed to 
make the reader believe, that after repudiating the bonds 
of 1856, (see p. 72) I caused the assignment of the Col- 
lege property to be made in 1857 ; that I originated the 
plan, engineered it through and consummated it ; and 
all this for the sake of excluding Mr. Allen and Mr. Do- 
herty from the Faculty, and of transferring the College, 
body and soul, real estate and corporate franchises, to the 
Unitarians. 

If all this can be called an argument, a more bungling 
and illogical one can nowhere be found on record. The 



MR. mann's statement. 69 

conclusion is set down on p. 73, i. e. in the middle of it. 
It is intermixed with so much irrelevant matter, — letters, 
newspaper scraps, &c, &c, — that it has no continuity of 
parts, and exhibits no growth from stage to stage. The 
only trace of system or symmetry it exhibits, consists in 
its ever-recurring introduction of my name with some 
sinister imputation. One fact alone pervades and char- 
acterizes it from beginning to end : It is without a parti- 
cle of proof or truth. 

On all this abominable and heterogeneous conglom- 
eration of things, I wish to submit a few propositions : 

1. Was not one of the reasons for the sale of the Col- 
lege property, which the report contains, namely, that 
the College was running in debt some $10,000 or $12,000 
a year, and that at that rate its property would soon be 
exhausted, and its stockholders become personally lia- 
ble; — was not this a sufficient reason for the assignment, 
or, at least, sufficient to save its advocates from all suspi- 
cion of dishonesty ? 

2. Did Mr. Allen at that time protest against or object 
to the assignment ? Did he ever discover that it was 
wrong until after his failure to be re-appointed as a 
member of the Faculty ? He was present at the meet- 
ing of the Trustees at which the assignment was made. 
Persons whom he wishes to have us consider his friends, 
were on the committee that reported it. He was present 
at the succeeding Stockholders' meeting, when the pol- 
icy of the measure was fully discussed and a new Board 
of Trustees elected. At both these meetings, everybody 
present, who desired it, was allowed to speak. At nei- 
ther did he utter a whisper against the measure. Why ? 
He was then expecting to be re-appointed on the new Faculty] 



70 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

3. In the whole transaction, as related by himself 
through sixty dreary pages, (with the exception of my 
vote in favor of the report to assign, which report was 
unanimously accepted, with the exception of Mr. Harlan, 
who did not object to it,) has he adduced one tittle of 
proof that I ever proposed that measure beforehand, or 
advocated it on its passage, or was a member of any com- 
mittee, either to prepare it or to execute it? 

4. On the committee reporting the assignment, were 
Messrs. Palmer, Pike and Phillips, — three leaders in the 
"Christian" denomination. They constituted a majority 
of the committee. The report was unanimous; but had 
either one of these three dissented, together with the 
two members not " Christians," the report could not have 
been made. Is it supposable, firstly, that I blinded, 
mesmerized and bamboozled a majority, or rather the 
whole committee, (for a majority would have answered 
my purpose,) to obtain an assignment ; that thereby, sec- 
ondly, I might cause the whole Faculty to be dismissed ; 
that thereby, thirdly, I might prevent Mr. Allen, the next 
year, from being re-elected on the Faculty? 

5. On the Board of Trustees present and voting for 
the acceptance of the report to assign, as appears from 
the book itself, were Messrs. F. A. Palmer, D. P. Pike, 
Amasa Stanton, John Phillips, John Kershner, J. P. 
Corey, J. C. Burghdurf, Wm. R. King, James Maxwell, 
and S. Stafford — ten of the sixteen present, all unim- 
peachable members and friends of the " Christian" de- 
nomination, and all voting to accept the report. By 
what wile, artifice, fraud, hoax, juggle, delusion, leger- 
demain, conjuration or stultification; by what fiction, 
romance, shuffle, fraud or mental ambuscade, did I over- 
reach, mystify, hoodwink, inveigle and befool these ten 



mr. m ann's statement. 71 

men, to make them, as my dupes, gulls, victims, vote for 
the assignment against their judgment and conscience, 
so that the next year I might oust Mr. Allen from his 
Professorial Chair? Why could I not have been satisfied 
with a majority ? Why waste my precious powers of cir- 
cumvention to cajole the whole? 

6. " On the following day," says Mr. Allen, " there 
was a meeting of the scholarship-holders." At this meet- 
ing the whole matter of the assignment underwent 
another elaborate discussion. Mr. Allen was present- 
I think no protesting or dissenting syllable was uttered 
against the measure by any one, certainly Mr. Allen said 
nothing against it ; and he would have been heard had 
he offered to speak ; for such was our democratic custom. 
Yet it is under these circumstances that Mr. Allen in- 
terpolates his final conclusion into the middle of his ar- 
gument, as follows : " This one act in Mr. Mann's drama, 
had, no doubt, been played to his satisfaction." 

Now let any person who has once read this part of Mr. 
Allen's book, submit to the humiliation and disgust of 
realing it again, and then see if all the above positions 
are not legitimately taken. Let him see whether, with 
the exception of the vote which I gave for the accept- 
ance of the report to assign, he has exhibited through all 
these felonious pages a particle, an effluvium, an aura, an 
infinitesimal of proof, "a smell of evidence," that I had 
any connection with the measure as author, advocate, or 
executor. The whole is the fetid exhalation of that 
vengeful and fiery cauldron he carries in his bosom. 

On p. 136, Mr. Allen cites a remark or two of the late 
Hon. Daniel Webster against me, occasioned by my dis- 
sent from his 7th of March speech, and his subsequent 
political course. 



72 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Two observations on this will suffice : 

First: If within the circumference of Mr. Allen's na- 
ture there is any spot of sincerity or principle, he agreed 
and sympathized with me on every point where Mr. Web- 
ster assailed me. In order to injure me, therefore, he 
makes alliance with his own enemy as well as mine, and 
borrows words which he himself condemned and which 
derive all their strength from having been used against 
me in a case where he was on my side. Is not this lov- 
ing one's enemies in a new way? 

Second: Doubtless Mr. Allen supposed that by public- 
ly referring to a case where that intellectual Groliah 
flourished his " weaver's beam" and talked " Philistine" 
at me, he should cause me pain. But how fallaciously 
he judges of feelings which pertain to honor and recti- 
tude. If among all the acts of my public life, Fate 
should ordain that only one of them should be remem- 
bered by my children or my friends, I would select that 
one before all others, when, single-handed and alone, I 
struck at the foremost intellectual man in the nation, 
because I believed that, alike in defiance of the laws of 
Grod and the welfare of man, he was consummating a gi- 
gantic national wrong. And now, even in this country, 
where party relations so warp ingenuous minds, are not 
fifty to one of all the men whose names History will love 
to cherish and preserve, already on my side of the ques- 
tion there in issue between Mr. Webster and myself ; and 
out of this country is not all this illustrious order of 
men, the Yon Humboldt's and Lord Brougham's of ev- 
ery land, without exception, on the same side ? Little 
as Mr. Allen knows of the sentiments which actuate 
honorable minds, he knew quite as little of the pride of 



MR. mann's statement. 73 

the reminiscence which, in my heart, his malignant cita- 
tion would awaken. 

One of the most dishonest portions of the book may- 
be found on pp. 142 and 149. This contains Mr. Allen's 
version of the "Rise, Dimculties and Suspension" of his 
attack upon the character of one of the female assistant 
teachers. 

Let this story be told by Prof. Pennell, whose fairness 
and veracity will be questioned by no one living man : 

"A meeting of the Faculty was called to investigate 
charges made by Mr. Allen against a teacher in the Pre- 
paratory school — Miss Wilmarth. After protracted in- 
vestigation, no charges being substantiated and Miss 
Wilmarth's explanation having been heard, the Faculty 
were all satisfied. Mr. Allen expressed his satisfaction 
also, walked across the room and shook hands with Miss 
Wilmarth, and the Faculty separated. 

" Mr. Allen was at this time the Secretary of the Fac- 
ulty. At a subsequent meeting it was discovered that 
the record had been so made up, as to leave Miss Wil- 
marth still under arraignment — the fact of her having 
been accused being recorded, that of her having been 
acquitted suppressed. Mr. Doherty moved that the rec- 
ord be amended, and proposed the words of the amend- 
ment, which the Faculty approved. Mr. Allen refused 
to make the entry, and upon its being insisted on, pro- 
posed taking the book to his room to make the entry 
there. The Faculty insisting, he at last made the pro- 
posed addition, then threw the record book down near 
the President, declaring that he would serve as Secretary 
no longer. [Signed,] C. S. Pennell." 

Piespecting Mr. Allen's statements that I made an- 
nouncements to the students of matters, as having been 
7 



74 KEJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

decided by the Faculty, which had never been so decid- 
ed, and respecting any partiality exercised by myself or 
Mrs. Dean in behalf of one set of teachers over another, 
I quote the following from a statement made by Mr. 
Zachos, wh@ for two years was principal of the Prepara- 
tory Department : » 

" I answer explicitly, that during the two years of my 
connection with the College, my memory does not serve 
me with one case, [when] the President ever announced 
any thing to the students in the chapel as decided by 
the Faculty which had not been so decided. 

" Whatever personal or social preferences you or Mrs. 
Dean might have had [for one teacher over another,] 
they did not appear in your official relations to the 
teachers, as far as I had any opportunity to observe." 

In answer to the question, whether Mr. Mann ever 
did go into the Chapel and announce that the Faculty 
had decided (so or so), when they knew nothing of it, 
Elder Holmes says : 

" I am very positive he never did. He must be insane 
who makes such a charge ; for the act would, of course, 
be repudiated by the Faculty immediately." 

Dr. Craig says : 

" I do not remember that Mr. Mann ever said to the 
students, or to any others, that 'The Faculty have agreed,' 
etc., when the Faculty had not agreed. I do remember, 
however, that Mr. Mann several times came to ask me, 
(and sometimes sent me to ask Mr. Weston, Mr. Cary, 
and Dr. Warriner,) about some comparatively little matter, 
which I should have thought it no impropriety for him 
to have answered on his own individual authority." 

Mr. Coburn affirms the same. 

On pp. 181, 183, 196, aud elsewhere, Mr. Allen places 
Elder Maple on the witness' stand, to testify that I 



MR. mann's statement. 75 

treated him " unjustly," in reference to the publication 
of a Report. 

On cross-examination, however, Elder Maple testifies 
as follows : 

" On p. 181, Mr. Allen publishes two letters, or ex- 
tracts from them. One was written to Mr. Lynn, and 
the other to Allen. On p. 183, are extracts from another 
letter of mine, bearing on the same point. In those 
letters the following passage occurs : ' There are some 
things in the Committee's Report on the College to which 
I objected, and told Mr. Mann that they must be left out, 
or he must not put my name to it ; but notwithstanding 
this, he did put my name to it unjustly.' The facts in 
regard to this matter are the following : Hon. H. Mann 
came to my house with the report that he and the other 
members of the committee had prepared. He read it to 
me. There was one thing in the address that I objected 
to ; but after some conversation about the objectionable 
feature, I signed the report. It was left with me to 
send to Mr. Geary, to be published. I instructed Mr. 
Geary to strike off a proof, and send it to Mr. Mann to 
read. The next morning after Mr. Mann was at my 
house, I read over the report carefully, and I then 
thought that the feature in it to which I objected, would 
do harm, and had much better be left out. I sent the 
report to Mr. Geary, but wrote to Mr. Mann that he had 
better strike out the part I objected to when he came to 
read the proof. He replied that he had seen Elder J. G. 
Reeder, [a member of the same committee,] and that he 
objected to having it left out. When I received this 
letter, I wrote to Mr. Mann to leave the objectionable 
feature out, or omit my name ; for I could not consent 
to have my name connected with the report, and let the 



76 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

objectionable feature remain. Time passed. The com- 
mittee's report was published with the objectionable fea- 
ture somewhat changed, but in substance the same. I 
heard nothing from Mr. Mann for several weeks, and I 
thought that he had treated me unjustly in publishing 
the report as it was, with my name to it. In my corres- 
pondence with Messrs. Lynn, Allen, and 0. J. Wait, 
I expressed my feelings pretty freely on the matter. 
After I had written to the above gentlemen, I received 
a letter from Mr. Mann that explained the whole matter, 
and exonerated him from all blame. He was absent, 
lecturing in the West, when my second letter reached 
the Springs, and the committee's report was published 
before he saw it. This set the matter right in my mind. 
I wrote to Brother Wait, explaining the matter to him, 
and freeing Mr. Mann from all blame. I also explained 
the matter to Prof. I. W. Allen, five months before his 
book was published. Notwithstanding this, he made use 
of my letters to prove what he knew to be false. I also 
explained the matter to Mr. J. T. Lynn. These are the 
facts in the case, and they free Mr. Mann from all blame 
in the matter." 

This plain statement needs but little explaining. It 
may be observed, however, that the " objectionable fea- 
ture," which Mr. Maple refers to, related to some conduct 
of Mr. Allen and his party, in regard to the subject- 
matter of the report ; so that Mr. Maple made objection 
to its being published only to save him and them from 
exposure. He, however, signed it. When his letter 
reached me, renewing the objection which he first made 
and then waived, I submitted it to one of our colleagues 
on the committee, Elder Eeeder, who objected to the 
proposed omission, and it was therefore retained. "Time 



MR. mann's statement. 77 

passed," as Mr. Maple says ; vacation came, and I was 
absent when his second letter arrived. That Mr. Maple 
had communicated any complaint to Messrs. Allen and 
Lynn, I did not know nor suspect; that he had to Elder 
Wait, and had afterward retracted, I did know ; for Mr. 
Wait sent me an account of both "bane and antidote" 
at the time. I answered Mr. Maple's second letter as 
•^soon as I received it. 

The two main facts are these : First, I stand entirely 
acquitted; and, second, all the letters of Mr. Maple, from 
which Mr. Allen quotes, whether to himself, or to his 
comrade, Mr. Lynn, (Dean Swift says "comrade " is de- 
rived from "come rogue,") are dated in 1857; the book 
appeared in the autumn of 1858. Months before its 
publication, therefore, Mr. Maple had disabused the 
minds of Messrs. Allen and Lynn of the erroneous im- 
pression he had given them respecting my conduct in 
relation to the report. We not only have his positive 
statement on this point, but Mr. Wait, to whom he told 
the same story, knows that he rectified the matter to 
him. Now, will Mr. Allen deny that Mr. Maple retracted 
his imputation against me, before the book appeared? 
Nothing more probable, if lie dare. Had he not better 
consider some points, however, before venturing upon 
this ? Will he deny it for Mr. Lynn also, or Mr. Lynn 
for himself? Both lived in Yellow Springs, within a few 
minutes' walk of each other, the last year. In their 
hostility to the College, since Mr. Allen was spurned by 
his former colleagues on the Faculty, they have been 
Siamese twins. Whatever Chang did, Eng knew, by a 
spiritual affinity, closer than any connection through an 
umbilical cord. Have they not talked over this matter 
of my exculpation by Mr. Maple, again and again? 



78 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Especially did they not, when Mr. Lynn gave Mr. Allen 
the letter of Mr. Maple to him, for publication in the 
book ? Are there not other persons who know the facts 
from their own mouths ? 

However all this may be, and whether they plead guilty 
or not guilty, I stand acquitted ; and Mr. Allen's whole 
charge against me, on this point, is a falsity, in regard 
to the thing, if not falseness in his own heart. 

On pp. 220-2, a laborious effort is made to convict me 
of misrepresentation in regard to student-boarders, in the 
village. 

In commenting upon the question of a thousand of 
bones, the half thousand of muscles, the myriads of 
blood-vessels and the millions of nerves in the human 
body, Dr. Paley speaks with wonder and admiration of 
what he calls their "package" — the skill with which so 
many things are stowed into so small a space. The pack- 
age of falsities in the few pages now under consideration 
equals any thing to be found in the human system ; but 
must have had an infinitely different kind of author. 

1. A remonstrance is introduced purporting to have 
been signed by thirty-three persons against the 37th 
Rule of the Faculty, (at first it was the 36th,) respecting 
students boarding in the village. 

I do not see why this remonstrance should be intro- 
duced against me. The 37th Rule was adopted by a 
unanimous vote of the Faculty, Mr. Allen voting for it 
with the rest. It, therefore, proves as much against him 
as against me. 

But is not that Rule founded in good reason? If so, 
the remonstance only disparages those who made it. The 
Rule simply requires that the boarding-house keeper 
should " promise to exercise parental supervision over 



MR. mann's statement. 79 

them [his boarders,] and report to the President, or 
some member of the Faculty, any violation of the rules 
of the College which they commit." Is not this a most 
reasonable and salutary rule ? When the students board 
at the Hall, they are on our premises and within our ju- 
risdiction. When they cross the threshold of a citizen, 
they go where we cannot follow them, where our eye 
cannot see, nor our hand restrain them. Why, then, 
should we not require of the citizen who receives stu- 
dent-boarders within his jurisdiction, the same parental 
care and vigilance which we would exercise did they re- 
main under ours? He receives them from us, why 
should he not, for the time being, watch them for us ? 
And why should Mr. Allen sanction a remonstrance, 
which is only a condemnation of a rule, for which he 
voted ? 

Again, if the 37th Rule was a good rule, where was 
the harm in my endeavors to get Mr. Layton to comply 
with it ; and if he was obstinate and refused, did it not 
show fidelity to duty and a conciliatory spirit in me, 
when I tried, as he says, " for several weeks, both per- 
sonally and through others, to influence Mr. Layton and 
then Mrs. Layton" to do their duty? 

2. It is affirmed that the twenty-five citizens who cer- 
tified that they had not signed the promise contained in 
the 37th Rule had " boarded, it is thought, nearly all the 
students who have boarded out in private families." 
This is untrue. The list included several who had never 
boarded students at all, and leaves out many who had. 

I never made it a point to preserve papers of this kind, 
because the end of the term ended the use and object of 
the certificate. But in looking into a drawer in the Pres- 
ident's room, where loose papers were sometimes laid 



80 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

aside, I found thirteen certificates, given in accordance 
with the 37th Rule, and the name of only one of their 
signers is found among the twenty-five, who are said to 
have taken, "it is thought," "nearly all the boarders." 
These I now have. 

3. As Mr. Allen has stated the case, the reader is led 
to conclude that the 37th Bule had been in the catalogue 
for three years. But it had never been drawn up in 
form and put in the Catalogue until the College year 
previous to June, 1857, when Mr. Allen's "documents" 
bear date, that is, at most, only a year and two terms, in- 
stead of three years. While it was a verbal rule, we 
accepted verbal assurances of its fulfilment ; when re- 
duced to a written form, that form, or its equivalent, was 
expected. The earliest written certificates under the 
printed rule, were in 1856. 

4. But to show the "total depravity" of the statement 
in Mr. Allen's book, p. 222, which proposes to give the 
signatures of those who had not signed the certificate, I 
now remark that I have spent a few hours in calling upon 
my more immediate neighbors, and have obtained a pos- 
itive denial of what is there stated, from each individual 
on whom I have called. The following are samples : 

"Mr. Allen's book, p. 222, purports to have the signa- 
ture of my husband, Mr. Bobert Edmunds, to a paper 
about boarders. At the time that paper bears date, he 
had been dead several months. Neither he nor I ever 
signed any such paper, or authorised any one to do so. 
His name was falsely used. Mr. Doherty called on us 
with the certificate. Wealthy Edmunds." 

"Previous to June, 1857, I never had a student of An- 
tioch College as a boarder in my family. A. H. Platt." 

"I did comply with the 37th Bule in the College Cata- 
logue about boarders. I never objected to it. It was a 



MR. mann's statement. 81 

just and proper rule. I never signed my name to any 
paper like that contained in Mr. Allen's Book, p. 222, 
nor authorized any one to sign for me. The whole story 
is a fabrication of Mr. Allen, or of some one else, adopted 
by him. Snow Richardson." 

"This is to certify that previous to June, 1857, I had 
no boarders in my family from the College, and that any 
use of my name, to the effect that I was in any condition 
to be at all implicated by such a state of facts, is alto- 
gether unwarrantable, and without any basis of truth. 

Wm. Mills." 

"Since June, 1857, I have had some boarders, and have 
complied with the rule, and deem it both wholesome for 
the students and their friends. Wm. Mills." 

U I never signed the paper, nor authorized my name to 
be placed on any such paper as appears on page 222 of 
Mr. Allen's Book. I had complied with the College reg- 
ulations in regard to boarders, and always approved 
them. J. D. Normandie." 

I have other certificates and denials, to the same effect; 
but are not these sufficient to show the fraud and men- 
dacity of Mr. Allen in this matter? Several of the per- 
sons whose names are in that list have left town, and 
others are dead. Such are the ones, (like Mr. Edmunds,) 
whose names he would be likely to use without authority. 

5. When a written certificate was first required, it was 
thought that, perhaps, individuals might object to sign- 
ing such a paper, because it might expose them to the 
ill-will of their boarders. In order, therefore, to intro- 
duce the rule as quietly as possible, I suggested that dif- 
ferent members of the Faculty should take prepared cer- 
tificates to persons whose intimacy they enjoyed, and ob- 
viate any objections they might entertain. Mr. Dough- 
erty, (as appears by Mrs. Edmund's certificate above,) 
took some of them, Mr. Allen others, &c. Now, if any 



82 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

person did not sign said certificate, might it not be those 
whom Mr. Allen was deputed to visit, and whom he tam- 
pered with and allowed to escape, and whose cases he 
now brings forward to inculpate me? He expressly ex- 
cludes the Spring term of 1857, after the administration 
of the rule had fallen exclusively into my hands. 

But I weary of my task. The sun sets, but the work is 
not done. The multitude of falsehoods contained in the 
book defies refutation, and transgression outruns pun- 
ishment. Before me, and both on my right hand, and 
on my left, vistas of lies stretch away in endless per- 
spective. I loathe and abominate them all, but must 
leave them to perish, as venomous insects perish on the 
banks of the Ganges or the Nile. Truth imposes no 
severer labor upon a man, than to expose the falsehoods 
of his fellow-man. I have done my part of this painful 
work. My regard for Antioch College, and for the noble 
principles it embodies and exemplifies, has prompted me 
to this irksome task, and sustained me in its perform- 
ance. That object accomplished, I leave the book to the 
oblivion, and its author to the retribution which respec- 
tively await them. Would God that an early repentance 
and reformation on his part, might hasten the one and 
supersede the other. 

HORACE MANN. 

Yellow Springs, June, 1859. 



MR. CRAIG'S STATEMENT. 



[It is proper to say, as an introduction to this article, 
that it was first published as an advertisement, in the col- 
umns of the Gospel Herald, the organ of the Christian 
denomination in the West, April 20th, 1859. This paper 
was, at that time, published by John Geary & Son, of 
Columbus, 0., who were also the publishers of Mr. Allen's 
book. The columns of the paper, under the editorship 
of Mr. Geary, had for several months been loaded with 
articles from Mr. Allen, and his co-actors, lauding him 
and his book, and denouncing Antioch College, and all 
connected with it, or friendly to it. Column after col- 
umn was filled every week in that manner. Mr. Craig 
prepared this article, written in the kindest spirit, and 
wrote to Mr. Geary inquiring if an article of this kind 
could be admitted to his columns, either as a communica- 
tion or as an advertisement; and if only as an advertise- 
ment, at how much per page. His first letter brought 
no answer. To the second Mr. G. replied that it could be 
admitted as an advertisement, at twenty dollars per page I 

An impartial public will ask, why should so many ar- 
ticles on one side of such a subject be published without 
charge, while a single article on the other side is charged 
as an advertisement? That is a question for Messrs. 
Geary & Allen to answer. 

But Mr. Craig accepted the proposal, and sent on his 
article. An arrangement was made for Geary's bill to 



84 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

be paid at Yellow Springs, and he was notified accord- 
ingly. The article was sent April 15th; on the 16th, 
which must have been as soon as it was received, and 
before it was published, Geary & Son wrote to Bro. Craig, 
"We shall have your article in next issue of the Herald ; 
in the meantime you will please send us by express the 
$20." On the 21st, still several days before the paper 
had been received, they sent a bill to me also. As 
it happened, one of Mr. Craig's creditors, learning of 
the transaction, wished to make an arrangement to have 
the money paid to him, to be passed to Geary's credit, 
and I delayed a little to know whether that could be 
done. On the 26th they sent another bill to me by mail, 
and one by express, with orders to the agent to collect 
immediately, or return the bill. This bill was as follows: 



"A. Craig 


Dr. 


To John Geary & Son. 




For publishing letter, 


$27,00 


For 10 papers, 


50 


For postage, 


10 



$27,60" 

Soon after, business called me to Dayton, where I 
learned, by accident, from a letter of Bro. Craig's to Bro. 
John Ellis, that the money had already been sent by 
Mr. Craig ; but Geary did not notify me, or the Express 
Agent of this payment until, after waiting several days* 
I wrote to him about it myself. On the 30th Geary & 
Son wrote again to Mr. Craig, that the proposal to settle 
with his creditor did not suit them, and requesting that 
the money be remitted by "return mail." The money had 
been sent a week before this letter was received. 



MR. craig's statement. 85 

Now it is pertinent to ask, why were these bills sent 
in both directions? Why this haste to "collect imme- 
diately?" Why did he not, when he had received the 
money, notify me, or countermand his orders to the Ex- 
press Agent to collect immediately ? Why did he leave 
it to a mere accident for me to learn that the money was 
paid? Business men will judge. 

Of the same spirit as this was his sending to parties at 
Yellow Springs five hundred unordered copies of the 
sheet containing the article, with an enormous bill; and 
his charging $22,50 for work which other printers have 
estimated to me at $8, as their "asking price." The facts 
in the last case can be shown if necessary. 

This is Mr. Geary, the publisher of Mr. Allen's "His- 
tory." Fit publisher for fit author! Par nobile fratrum! 

The candor and Christian spirit of this article contrasts 
widely with the spirit and conduct of the author and the 
publisher of the "History." These, of themselves, indi- 
cate strongly with whom are truth and justice, and with 
whom they are wanting. 

For the insertion of topical headings in this article, 
Mr. Craig is not responsible. J. B. Weston.] 

advertisement. 
Brother Geary : — 

Four months ago I procured a copy of Ira W. Allen's 
"History of the Rise, Difficulties and Suspension of An- 
tioch College." Its title-page informs me thatyou "print- 
ed and published" the book. You. have also publicly 
commended the book; for, over your name, the readers 
of the Gospel Herald have been told, week after week, 
that every lover of a free and pure Christianity should ob- 
tain and read this book. 

Accordingly, I obtained and read the book. I found 



86 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

it an unhappy book, Brother Geary. It seems unhappy 
in its spirit; it is unhappy in many of its statements. 
The book lacks so many of the essential requisites to 
History, (such as fairness, fulness, truthfulness,) that at 
times I have doubted whether silence were not the fittest 
reply to it. I knew, however, from several manifesta- 
tions of bitterness which I had observed during my late 
sojourn at Yellow Springs, that there were some who 
would welcome such a book. But, Brother Geary, I 
would not have supposed that a respectable publisher 
could be found to issue such a book, and to commend it 
to every "lover of a free and pure Christianity." Still 
less would I have supposed that any respectable minister 
could be found, who, while virtually acknowledging his 
lack of all personal knowledge of the matters in contro- 
versy, would hear one side of the story, and, without 
awaiting the reply of the assailed parties, would straight- 
way endorse the ex 'parte statement as genuine history, 
and publicly express the wish that the "History" might 
be widely circulated. I did not anticipate these things. 
They surprise me. And now, Brother Geary, I think 
that not silence, but refutation, is the fit reply to the 
mis-statements and calumnies contained in this "His- 
tory." From personal knowledge, I can say that several 
important statements in this "History" are not true, — I 
will presently give the proper details. 

But first, Brother Geary, I wish to tell you that it 
pains me to write such things as I must write about 
Prof. Allen's book. My first perusal of that "History" 
gave me very unpleasant feelings towards its author. To 
overcome these feelings, at least so far as to prevent my 
testimony from being warped by them, I have refrained 
from publishing this reply, — now for more than three 



MR. craig's statement. 87 

months. Meanwhile I have used my calmest moments 
in revising my manuscript, striking out whatever I 
thought might be harsh or unkind, and seeking to make 
my feelings kind and my words mild. Nearly all of the 
following portions of this communication have bsen re- 
written four times. I trust it is not improper to add 
that, desiring to make my reply to Mr. Allen's mis- 
statements unobjectionable in its expressions and spirit, 
I sent the manuscript, a few weeks ago, to one of our 
oldest and most respected Christian ministers, requesting 
him to point out to me any passages or words which he 
might think objectionable on the ground of charity, — for, 
Brother Geary, it seems to me that the simple facts in 
reference to Mr. Allen's many mis-statements are so like 
cannon balls, that a man void of animosity might wish to 
wrap them well in velvet before projecting them forth. 

In preparing this communication, I have tried to com- 
bine charity with truth. If I have written uncharitably, 
may I be forgiven! If I have failed to write according 
to the truth, let me be refuted. 

I am ready now, Brother Geary, to proceed to the 
promised details relating to Mr. Allen's mis-statements. 

Mr. Craig at Antioch as Professor of Greek. 

On the twenty-first page of Mr. Allen's "History," it 
is stated that after Professor Holmes left Antioch College 
to go to Europe, I, [Austin Craig,] "was requested to be- 
come his substitute ;" that I "declined coming that term, 
but would think of it;" and, that "after about five 
months' deliberation and preparation, Mr. Craig con- 
sented to take charge of Professor Holmes' classes, and 
commenced at the opening of the Fall term, September 
5th, 1855." 



88 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Here, Brother G-eary, before proceeding with Mr. Al- 
len's story about my coming to Antioch, I wish to give 
you some additional particulars. 

During several months prior to this "Sept. 5th, 1855," 
my health was poor. When I received the invitation to 
take the place of the absent Professor of G-reek, I stated 
my fear that my health would not be sufficient to enable 
me to perform the duties of the post. There for a while 
the matter rested. Afterwards, (namely, July 2d, 1855,) 
at J. E. Brush's store, in New-York City, Elder Eli Fay 
told me that, in anticipation of my coming to Antioch, 
the Committee on Teachers had made no provision for 
instruction in Greek. My Diary, under date of July 2d, 
records that I "agreed to go to Antioch College and 
teach Greek in Holmes' place a year, if health permit;' 
Besides this proviso about health, there was one other, 
viz., that I could obtain the requisite leave of absence 
from my congregation. The congregation voted me a 
leave of absence from their service until the following 
Spring. Thus, I went to Antioch for only a part of the 
year, and that with the express stipulation, "if health 
permit." I will add that the "five months' preparation" 
alleged by Mr. Allen, was all made in a few hours. 

On my arrival at Antioch, the three Greek classes 
were given into my care; I had also my full share of 
what Professor Allen designates as "morning chapel 
exercises, and other general duties of the Faculty." 
I had much more than my share of the Sunday 
"chapel exercises ;" for, during my stay at Antioch, I 
preached in the College Chapel, and in the Christian 
Church, as much as I was required to preach to my own 
congregation at home. After some weeks of College du- 
ties, I found my health failing. President Mann pro- 



MR. craig's statement. 89 

cured me then an assistant, to whom for the remaining 
half of the term I entrusted my class in the Greek rudi- 
ments. Of this transaction, Mr. Allen's book speaks un- 
fairly. The book says that Mr. Mann called on Mr. 
Burlingame, (a teacher in the "Preparatory School,") 
and desired him to take one of Mr. Craig's classes; which 
Mr. Burlingame declined. "Mr. Mann called again, but 
without obtaining the consent of Mr. B.; and, as the 
meeting of the Trustees was near at hand, the matter 
was hushed, and rested. - As soon, however, as said meet- 
ing was past, and the Trustees had dispersed, Mr. Bur- 
lingame was again urged to take one of the Greek classes ! " 
So far Mr. Allen's "History." 

Now, Brother Geary, as a printer, you may correctly 
understand the italicizing of the word "hushed" in the 
above citation ; also, the import of that mark of surprise 
(!) at the end of the sentence. Are they not fitted to 
give the impression that something was wrong in the 
transaction with Mr. Burlingame? — something that must 
not come to the ear of "the Trustees?" and so, was 
"hushed" when their meeting was "at hand," but was 
agitated again as soon as the Trustees were out of 
the way ? 

But, Brother Geary, there was nothing wrong or im- 
proper in the transaction with Mr. Burlingame. So far 
as I had any knowledge of it, it was all open and honor- 
able. Hence, I am constrained to say that those innuen- 
does differ from falsehood, in about the same degree that 
an untruth hinted in cowering italics, differs from 
an untruth affirmed in bold Roman. 

Mr. Allen continues his account of the affair by stat- 
ing that "accordingly Mr. B., (Burlingame) notwith- 
8 



90 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

standing his own duties were onerous, — accommodated 
Mr. Craig by taking one of the Greek classes." 

Brother Geary, this statement may give you the im- 
pression that Mr. Burlingame took one of my classes in 
addition to his own "onerous" duties. That, however, 
was not the case. Turning to my Diary, under date of 
October 16th, (1855,) I copy as follows: 

"Mr. Mann told me this morning that he had arranged 
with Mr. Burlingame to take my First Preparatory Class 
in Greek, (Mr. Pennell taking his in Latin,) provided I 
would take his (Burlingame's) Sunday service. Agreed 
to." 

It was Professor Pennell that did the extra work in- 
volved in this arrangement; and he received the pay. I 
paid Professor Pennell for thus relieving me of one of 
my three classes, the third part of the sum which at that 
time, I was expecting to receive. And so, Mr. Burlin- 
game, ("notwithstanding his own duties were onerous,") 
merely exchanged an hour a day in Latin, for an hour a 
day in Greek rudiments, with the advantage in his favor 
of a release from his Sunday duties in the Chapel. But, 
Brother G-eary, all these important parts of this transac- 
tion, our historian appears to have "hushed" "!" 

Having finished his account of Mr. Mann's calls on 
Mr. Burlingame, our historian philosophizes over the 
matter as follows : 

"Now, why was Mr. Mann so much more tender of Mr. 
Craig than of Mr. Holmes? Was it not on account of 
Elder Craig's peculiar religious or theological views? — 
on account of his not laying any particular stress on 
Church organization or Church ordinances; and thus 
differing from all, or nearly all, members of the Christian 



MR. craig's statement. 91 

Church, or connection, and from other evangelical denom- 
inations ? If this was not the reason, pray what was it?" 
Brother Geary, I am confident that, in a similar case, 
Mr. Mann would have been as tender of Brother Holmes, 
as of me. 

He Misrepresents Mr. Craig's Theological Views. 

But letting this pass, I come to Mr. Allen's mis-state- 
ments about me. He alleges that "Elder Craig" has 
"peculiar religious or theological views," also that in 
some important points Elder Craig "differs from all, or 
nearly all, members of the Christian Church, and from 
other evangelical denominations." Mr. Allen alleges 
also, (on the eighty second page of his book,) that 
"Craig," and some others, "are nominally members of 
the Christian Church." 

What must the reader think ? He is informed that 
"Elder Craig" has "peculiar religious or theological 
views;" also, that "Elder Craig" — differs from all, or 
nearly all, members of the Christian Church ;■■" that "El- 
der Craig" is unsound as respects "Church organization 
or <Church ordinances ;" also, that "Elder Craig" is only 
"nominally" a Christian; and, to cap the climax, that, 
when "Elder Craig" was once growing sick, Mr. Mann 
grew "tender of" him: — (and it is evident from "History" 
that Mr. Mann is the biggest Wolf that ever got into our 
Fold.) — Putting all these suspicious particulars together, 
Brother Geary, the reader's mind may be suitably pre- 
pared for the untrue allegation made in the closing para- 
graph of this "History," where (evidently referring to the 
year during which I was the college preacher,) Mr. Allen 
tells our brethren that the "liberalistic theology" was sub- 
stituted at Antioch "for Christianity." 



92 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Brother G-eary, I have never been connected with any 
denomination except the "Christians." Before I was ten 
years old, I became familiar with "Christian" preachers, 
and with "Christian" publications. I began to preach 
among the "Christians" before I was out of my "teens." 
I joined the "New Jersey Christian Conference" the 30th 
day of May, 1844. This Conference then accepted and 
commended me as a preacher of the gospel. Not long 
afterwards, the same Conference gave me "ordination" as 
a Christian minister. The ordaining committee were 
Elders Isaac C. Groff, Nicholas Summerbell and Charles 
W. Havens. I have been a member of the New Jersey 
Christian Conference from the day of my admission to 
the present time. I joined the "Christians," loving their 
professed principles. I remain in fellowship with them 
because those principles leave me free to extend equal 
affection and fellowship to all who sincerely love our 
Lord Jesus Christ. I can't imagine why Mr. Allen 
should write me down as only "nominally a member of 
the Christian Church," unless for this reason : that in 
a sermon preached where Mr. Allen was present, I said that 
the Christian Church is much larger and nobler than 
The Christian Denomination ; and, that a man might pro- 
fess "no creed but the Bible," and "no name but Christ- 
ian," and yet be for all that, a bigot and a sectarian. 

Brother Geary, I think Mr. Allen's allegation is only 
"nominally" true. 

But, again: Mr. Allen's "History" charges me with 
"not laying any particular stress on Church organization, 
or Church ordinances." This charge is equivocal. It 
may be taken to mean that I do not lay "any particular 
stress" — that I do not make a hobby of those subjects: or 
it may mean that I disregard and neglect "Church ordi- 



MR. craig's statement. 93 

nances." If the former was Mr. Allen's meaning, I ac- 
cept the compliment ; if the latter, I deny the untrue 
charge. 

Why, Brother Geary, I have enforced and adminis- 
tered the "Church ordinances," even in places where I 
was making only visits, or a short sojourn: as in Fall 
River, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New Orleans. Especially 
where I have sustained pastoral relations to a community, 
have I enforced and administered the "Church ordinan- 
ces." It was so in Camptown, N. J.; where once I was 
Elder Isaac C. (xoff's colleague, during several months of 
his ill-health. It was so in Feltville, N. J.; where eleven 
years ago I was a minister in a community in which the 
"Church ordinances" had not been observed. In that 
community I administered Baptism, and introduced the 
commemoration of the Lord's Supper. Our first com- 
munion there had four participants; our last had 
thirty. It is so, also, in the community of my present 
charge. I could not introduce the observance of the 
Lord's Supper here, (for it was introduced a century ago; 
but I have urged this duty upon the people at their reg- 
ular communion seasons ; have appointed an extra sea- 
son of communion when it seemed advisable ; and have 
seen many communicants added to our number during 
my ministry here. As to the other "Church ordinance" 
— Baptism — I found that the people did not lay "any 
particular stress" upon it, when I began my ministry 
here : for, in its primitive form, it was not at all practised 
here ; while in any form it seemed to be falling into dis- 
use. At suitable times I have enforced the duty of Bap- 
tism upon this people ; and, in this place, I have "buried 
with Christ by baptism" thirty-eight believers. 

Wherefore, I certify you — brethren of the "Christian 



94 EEJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Church, or connection" — and you, "other evangelical 
denominations" — and all others whom it may concern : 
that the "Elder Craig" mentioned in "History," does not 
misuse the ministerial office for promulgating "peculiar 
religious or theological views;" furthermore, that "Elder 
Craig" does revere and enforce the "Church ordinances" 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

"We will now resume the interrupted narrative by not- 
ing the following passage, taken from the 23d page of 
Mr. Allen's "History:"— 

"Mr. Craig remained in Mr. Mann's family during the 
winter, preaching in the College Chapel a part of the 
time, but left in the Spring; very well satisfied, no doubt, 
that the post of Greek instructor in Antioch College was 
not the post for him." 

You will remember, Brother Geary, that my congrega- 
tion had given me leave of absence until "Spring." It 
seems to put a different face on the matter to say, u but 
left in the Spring ; very well satisfied, no doubt, that the 
post of Greek instructor wos not the post fnr him" This 
harmless bit of "History" may "no doubt" be put in the 
before-mentioned fabulous "five months' preparation." 

The Degree D. D. 

Mr. Allen devotes the ninety-second page of his book 
to remarks, original and selected, concerning the "De- 
gree 'D. D.,' " which, he says, was conferred by Mr. 
Mann, and "those members under his influence or con- 
trol, upon Eld. Austin Craig!" 

With this portion of "History," I find no fault. It is 
one of the best portions of Mr. Allen's book. The se- 
lections are choice and piquant; the spirit admirable; 
and the original remarks well adapted to show how the 



MR. craig's statement. 95 

dry details of "History" may be enlivened by a fertile 
fancy, and adorned by classical scholarship- To be 
sure, the above quotation ends with Mr. Allen's favorite 
figure of speech — the typographical Mark of Surprise (!); 
but it is quite appropriate there : for, really, it was a sur- 
prising thing — that "degree D. D.," conferred on "Eld. 
Austin Craig !" Indeed, I don't suppose that anybody 
was more surprised by it than "Eld. Austin Craig" him- 
self. For my part, Brother Geary, I won't say, but it 
had been entirely proper if the announcement that "Eld. 
Austin Craig" had been expanded into a "D. D." were 
followed — not by one Mark of Surprise, but by a whole 
battalion of them. — Somewhat as follows : "the de- 
gree of D. D." "conferred" "upon" "Eld. 

Austin Craig!" "!!!/// m\\\\ !!! ! J 

\ l\ / M !- : ~ \ f\ /III 

Here, Brother Geary, I would dismiss this " D. D." 
matter, if Mr. Allen had not added some injurious in- 
sinuations. For instance, on the 188th page, Mr. Allen 
writes : 

" How Brother Maple could turn such a short corner, 

and go over to ' Messrs. Dean, Fay & Co.,' 

I cannot divine, unless [they], as has been hinted, bought 
him off with promises of future emoluments and honors." 

"Should this 'scheming clique' succeed in pushing 
the ' Joint Stock Company ' through, and purchasing the 
College, and, in the mean time, should not Elder Maple 
turn another ' short corner ' and desert them, he may 
stand a chance of receiving a ' D. P.' as has Austin 
Craig." 

In this passage, Mr. Allen first intimates that Brother 



96 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Maple was " bought off" with promises of future " honors;'''' 
next, Mr. Allen adds, that, if Brother Maple will be 
faithful to those who have bought him, " he may stand a 
chance of receiving a { D. D.,' as has Austin Craig." 
From all this, the inference is easy that " Austin Craig " 
was "bought" with a "D. D. ;" and if the reader be 
curious to learn the price of such "honors," he may find 
even that " hinted " on the ninety-second page, where 
Mr. Allen says: 

i " Whether he [ f the Doctor ' ] thought that one year's 
service was an equivalent for the ' D. D.,' we cannot say." 

About the " equivalent," of course, Mr. Allen " cannot 
say ;" but he can "hint;" he can calumniate me by an 
innuendo, which may do as much harm as if the calumny 
were said, while it may be safer for the calumniator. 
Brother Geary, I should not think that these insinuations 
about bargaining for " honors," "receiving a D. D.," and 
rendering an "equivalent," would influence a reader's 
mind against me, when he reflects that the insinuator 
was a member of the Faculty in which " Mr. Mann con- 
ferred the degree ' D. D.' upon Elder Austin Craig." 

Brother Geary, I aver that I never said a word, nor 
even "hinted" a hint, that could possibly be construed 
into a wish for Antioch " honors." I had no idea that 
any person was thinking of a " D. D." in connection 
with my name, until the public announcement of the 
" degree " was made. 

In mj judgment, Mr. Allen owes it to himself (as well 
as to me) either to deny publicly all intention of charg- 
ing me with having sought or bargained for a " D. D.," 
or else to affirm publicly, in plain words, that which he 
appears to imply in hints and insinuations. The latter 
alternative is, of course, out of the question. 



mr. craig's statement. 97 

I would respectfully add, that, inasmuch as Brother 
Geary's types were used to print untruths prejudicial 
to niy character and ministry, and inasmuch as those 
types are used, week after week, to commend the book 
which contains those untruths, it seems to me proper and 
right to ask Brother Geary to publish this, my reply and 
defense, in the columns of the Gospel Herald. 

An " Exaggeration." 

I now proceed to give other examples of the unrelia- 
bility of Mr. Allen's book. 

The hundred and thirty-seventh page of "History," 
states that "Fay, Craig and Weston zealously labored* 
with Elder Ellis one day last winter, and importuned him 
for permission to publish statements," [about Professor 
Allen.] " Finally, Craig and Weston acknowledged that 
they thought it might be an injudicious step." 

This unreliable portion of " History " is answered by 
"Elder Ellis." I have a letter from Brother Ellis, 
dated March 24th, 1859. I transcribe the following 
extract : 

" In reply to your inquiries, I remark, nearly as I can 
now recollect, that I made to the Executive Committee 
of the C. B. Association, in substance, about this state- 
ment, in the presence of Mr. Allen : That Elders Fay, 
Weston and Craig requested of me, as one of the Execu- 
tive Committee, the privilege of making certain state- 
ments in the Gospel Herald, together with the oppor- 
tunity of presenting certain evidences concerning the 
conduct of Professor Allen. 

* In thi? passage, and in subsequent ones, I have italicised the 
words to which particular attention is directed. 
9 



98 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

u I also remarked, that, after I had talked with them 
awhile, they seemed to think it might not be best ; and, 
for the sake of peace, would drop it. 

" It will be remembered that what I said was called 
out by the published report of the ' Informal Committee ;' 
as I was willing Allen should have the privilege of an- 
swering that report, and had not at that time lost all 
confidence in him. 

" That is all, Brother C, that I can recollect of the 
affair at present. I have no hesitation in saying that Allen 
has given an exaggerated version of the matter in his 
look." 

Brother Greary, I, too, " have no hesitation in saying 
that Mr. Allen has given an exaggerated version of the 
matter." For, that I " zealously labored with Elder Ellis, 
and importuned him,'' is not true. In giving that " ex- 
aggerated version of the matter," Mr. Allen has afforded 
another illustration of the old story of the " three black 
crows" amplified out of " something as black as a crow." 

But, Brother Geary, this is not the only passage in 
Mr. Allen's " History " which gives " an exaggerated 
version " of matters. A spirit of exaggeration is mani- 
fest in several portions of the book. The tendency to 
exaggerate becomes strong when the feelings are much 
excited. Mr. Allen's book abounds with proofs of having 
been written in a very excited state of mind. Persons 
speaking or writing under the influence of highly excited 
feelings, lose the poise of their judgment; make inac- 
curate statements ; and adopt worthless authorities. Still 
more excited, they forget what is due to their own dig- 
nity, or to the obvious proprieties of speech, and indulge 
in abusive epithets, and unmeasured terms of contempt. 



MR. craig's statement. 99 

" History "-cal Style ! 

Brother Geary, the paragraph which here follows will 
not be pleasant reading. It consists of quotations from 
Mr. Allen's book, and will illustrate what I have written 
in the paragraph immediately preceding this. The quo- 
tations are carefully copied from Mr. Allen's " History," 
beginning with the " Preface." 

The " History " tells us of Horace Mann's " cruelty " 
— " venomed javelins " — "spies" — "fiendish act;" calls 
him " a modern Jeffrey," and charges him with " most 
despicable injustice." 

Speaking of a " Report" made in the Gospel Herald, 
by a committee composed of Elders Reeder, McWhinney 
and Wait, the " History " says that " a more thoroughly 
reckless and blackly false article probably never appeared 
in print!" "Fay & Co. had breathed into him (Elder 
Maple) their poisonous breath." Referring to Elder 
Fay's published " Explanation," Mr. Allen tells us that 
" such a fool-hardy, reckless, slanderous article never 
met my eye in any political newspaper. I know not 
how the most practiced villain, the most venomous de- 
famer could crowd more lies into the same space." Of 
Mr. Fay's "note " to Mr. Allen, we are told that " only 
a blind, vile, most bitter partizan feeling could have 
given birth" to it. "History" tells us also how Fay 
"flattered and hoodwinked McWhinney until the en- 
crustations of soft solder became so thick that he (McW.) 
could not see out." We are told that Eli Fay is "the 
merest tool of Horace Mann, and religiously, perhaps, 
several points below Theodore Parkerism !" " The men- 
dacious Eli!" "Mr. Mann's base quizzing and crafty 
wire-working." " The notorious, mercurial Rev. Eli 



100 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Incognito, and another eccentric gentleman." " Long- 
faced cunning, and sanctimonious chicanery." Referring 
to Mr. Mann's absence from the late " Stafford Conven- 
tion," Mr. Allen says : " The grand divertisement would 
have been still more magnificent, had His Serene High- 
ness condescended to be present ! But, as it turned out, 
his marshals were adequate to the occasion." " Mr. 
Mann's heroes at Stafford" — "Mr. Mann's puppets" — 
" Mr. McWhinney, who, perhaps, has bowed with greater 
humility to kiss Horace Mann's great toe, than did ever 
priest before the Roman Pontiff's." 

Such, Brother Geary, are the epithets with which Mr, 
Allen's " History " abounds. They indicate a highly 
excited and bitter state of mind — a state of mind which 
disqualifies its possessor for writing sober and reliable 
history. I discover evidences of Mr. Allen's excited 
state of mind in other passages — as where Mr. Allen goes 
out of his way to bring in something that has no con- 
nection with this topic. For instance, on page 142, Mr. 
Allen replies to a certain statement concerning Mr. Allen's 
relation to Mr. Mann's "hospitalities," as follows : 

" As to ' hospitalities,' I have never experienced them 
very frequently, (not at all since Mrs. Mann published her 
' religious cook-book !') nor extensively," etc. 

Now, Brother Geary, this clause in the brackets has 
not the slightest bearing upon the point which Mr. Allen 
is professedly making. Why then did he introduce it ? 
I suppose that he introduced it to cast a slur upon " Mrs. 
Mann." Examine the clause, Brother Geary. You find 
the words "religious cook-book!" enclosed in quotation- 
marks (" ") ; thereby giving a reader the impression that 
this is the title of a book published by Mrs. Mann. You 
observe also Mr. Allen's favorite mark of exclamation (!), 



MR. craig's statement. 101 

as if Mr. Allen would intimate his astonishment at the 
idea of a " religions cook-book!" A copy of the book 
to which Mr. Allen refers is before me. On the back of 
the volume, I find the words "Mrs. Horace Mann's Cook- 
Book;" on the outside of the cover, "Mrs. Horace 
Mann's Health and Economy in Cooking;" on the title- 
page, in large letters, "A Physiological Cook-Book. " 
Neither cover, title-page, nor preface shows me the words 
" religious cook-book !" Mr. Allen's reference to this 
book is, first, entirely unnecessary; second, it gives an 
untrue impression ; third, it betrays an excited state of 
mind; for who but a highly excited historian would in- 
troduce such a trifle for the sake of expressing his typo- 
graphical astonishment? "Straws," they say, "show 
which way the wind blows." The very typography of 
Mr. Allen's "History" shows that the book was not 
written in a calm mood. Many sentences of the book 
bristle with exclamation-marks (!). Indeed, from the 
passage where Mr. Allen records his arrival at Antioch 
College, on to the end of his "History," (namely from 
page 9 to page 240,) there are not two dozen pages of 
Mr. Allen's own writing which do not contain from one 
to seven marks of astonishment. I count this fact, 
Brother Geary, among the corroborations of the state- 
ment that Mr. Allen's book abounds with marks of 
having been written in an excited state of mind. 

His Authoritative — "It is said," &c. 

But further : A highly excited state of mind would 
naturally induce a historian to rely upon insufficient au- 
thorities in matters wherein their statements correspond 
with the historian's feeling. A calm, impartial historian 
weighs his authorities, and rejects jnere rumor and hear- 



102 BEJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

say. I wish to show you, Brother G-eary, the character 
of some of the authorities, on which Mr. Allen relies in 
support of some of his matters of " History." 

I select half-a-dozen instances : giving, first, Mr. Al- 
len's statement ; and, next, the historical authority on 
which he grounds it. 

(1.) Mr. Allen's statement, that Brother Maple was 
" bought off with promises of future emoluments and 
honors." — Mr. Allen's historical authority — " It has been 
hinted."— Q l History," page 188.) 

(2.) Mr. Allen's statement, that " Dr. Warriner con- 
nected himself with the Christian Church of Cincinnati, 
in accordance with Mr. Mann's advice, a short time be- 
fore his name was laid before the Trustees for a Profes- 
sorship !" On this, Mr. Allen observes — " There are not 
many men, it is to be hoped, who would connect them- 
selves with a Church for the sake of a Professorship !" 
Mr. Allen's historical authority : " It is said." — (" His- 
tory," page 9.) 

[Brother Geary, don't be surprised if hereafter you 
should learn that Dr. Warriner's " short time before was 
sometime after " ! "] 

(3.) Mr. Allen's historical statement, that "Mr. Mann 
has often found it convenient to screen his acts under the 
expression, ' The Faculty desires,' &c, ' The Faculty has 
decided,' &c."— (" History," page 18.)— Mr. Allen's his- 
torical authority : " It is said." 

[Remark. — Mr. Allen was a member of that "Faculty" 
four years. Now, if he had ever known such an instance 
as he reports from hearsay, he should have said so. If, 
however, he never knew such an instance, then how can 
we believe that " Mr. Mann has often done so ?" 

Brother Geary, I knew of no such instance occurring 



MR. craig's statement. 103 

during my stay at Antioch in 1855-G. And during the 
last College-year, I knew of Mr. Mann's putting himself 
to trouble several times to see members of the Faculty 
about little matters which I would have thought it proper 
for him to have determined at once. I think that Mr. 
Mann was scrupulously careful not to say what Mr. Allen 
says "it is said" he would say.] 

(4.) Mr. Allen's historical statement, that " a lady 
student called on Mr. Mann more than a year since to 
obtain an honorable dismission to attend another Insti- 
tution. He could not give her such a dismission, be- 
cause ' she had attended one of his Saturday evening 
parties (for students) without an invitation !' when the 
invitation had been given out publicly in the chapel, as 
usual, to all the students!" 

Mr. Allen's historical authority for this ridiculous 
story, is appropriate: " It is said. 1 " — ("History," p. 142.) 

(5.) Mr. Allen's historical statement, that " Eli Fay 
teas as Mack-hearted a man as ever breathed." Mr. Al- 
len's historical authority : "i responsible and influential 
man told me a feiv days since, that he HE believed it." 
(" History," page 231.) 

[Remark. — Brother Geary, just think of Cain and He- 
rod and Judas and Nero [not to mention other " black- 
hearted" men,] and then think of an " influential man" 
becoming " responsible" for such a speech ! I do not 
question the fact that somebody " told" Mr. Allen those 
bitter words ; for men with diseased livers may be found 
even in Ohio ; but it is strange that a historian should 
deem Jaundice — historical authority.] 

(6.) Of the same worthless, hearsay character is Mr. 
Allen's authority for the following statement: 

" Reliable people have told me things concerning Mr. 



104 HE JOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Maple's former character and course of life, which I 
could hardly believe, even after the transactions of the 
past twelvemonths." — ("History," page 233.) 

But, there is no need of multiplying instances of this 
kind. What historical authorities they are! "Reliable 
people have told me." — " It is said" — " It has been hint- 
ed" — " A responsible and influential man told me that he 
believed" &c. 

Such authorities, Brother Geary, are not in repute with 
calm and judicious historians. They were unworthy of 
Mr. Allen's notice. And if Mr. Allen had been calm 
and unexcited when he was writing his " History," I 
think he would have left all such authorities where they 
fitly belong — to gossips and backbiters. 

Brother Geary, let us pass on to another topic. I wish 
to call your attention to some passages in Mr. Allen's 
u History," which have not even a poor hearsay to sup- 
port them, but rest solely upon insinuations. 

One example of this kind we have had already. I re- 
fer to the passage where Mr. Allen says — " Whether he 
'[" the Doctor,"] thought that one year's service was an 
equivalent for the ' D. D,' we cannot say." 

Having already answered the calumnious innuendo 
contained in this and its related passages, I will here 
only say that this passage affords a fair example of the 
way that Mr. Allen insinuates grave charges by a hint, 
or by an artfully framed question, which leaves the bad 
meaning in the mind of the reader, while it does not seem 
to commit the writer to the responsibility of having 
said it. 

Let me give you some additional instances : — Take 
the following passage, from the sixty-second page of Mr. 
Allen's book. The passage begins appropriately with 



MR. craig's statement. 105 

one of our historian's favorite authorities — u It was 
said." 

" Indeed it was said — that Eli Fay had been chiefly in- 
strumental in appointing " Mr. Dean agent, and giving 
him a written contract for the Eastern territory and the 
sixteen per cent. What share of the profits Mr. Fay was 
to have, we do not know." 

In this passage enough is said to convey the impres- 
sion that something dishonest was done by Mr. Fay. 
And yet, the passage is so worded that, should Mr. Allen 
ever be called to an account for his insinuations of dis- 
honesty, he would be able to answer that he has not said 
there was any dishonesty. And, truly, he has not said it. 
What he has said is, that he does " not know." 

Take another instance : — On the two hundred and 
twenty sixth page of his "History," Mr. Allen notices a 
certain " brief card ;" concerning which, he says: 

" This card was signed by Mr. Mann, and Messrs. Har- 
lan and Mills; and lohat deception Mr. Mann practised on 
these gentlemen in order to induce them to sign said card, WE 

DO NOT KNOW." 

This passage insinuates that " deception" was "practis- 
ed on these gentlemen" by " Mr. Mann." However, Mr. 
Allen ingenuously says, u we do not know." Not know! 
Then why insinuate? It appears from the "'History" 
that Mr. Allen was on visiting terms with Lawyer Har- 
lan and Judge Mills ; thirty minutes was sufficient to 
take Mr. Allen from his own door to the door of either of 
" these gentlemen ;" moreover, Mr. Allen, in the " Pre- 
face" to his " History," assures the reader that his book 
is "no ignus fatuus" as he has " given much time to the 
examination of records and statements." Now, Brother 
Geary, on the supposition that Mr. Allen has " given 



10G REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

much time" (or, indeed, any time,) to the "examination" 
of this ''card," by going to his neighbors Harlan and 
Mills to get " statements" from them relative to the in- 
sinuated "deception practised on these gentlemen" by 
"Mr. Mann;" how shall we understand Mr. Allen's 
statement he does "not know?" Mr. Allen may have 
had the best of reasons for not knowing : but then, what 
reason had he for insinuating ? 

But, Brother Geary, in some passages of his "His- 
tory," Mr. Allen insinuates the bad meaning without 
putting into the paragraph a confession of his ignorance: 
as where he makes charges, under cover of asking ques- 
tions. 

Take one or two examples : — 

On the two hundred and first page of his " History," 
accounting for Brother Maple's favor towards the "Joint 
Stock Company," Mr. Allen queries as follows: — 

" Did the advocates of said plan offer him some shares 
in the proposed Company, a ' D. D.,' or a future Chap- 
laincy in the College, if he would lend his services and 
the columns of the Herald, to drive the plan through ? 
We hope that no such advances were made ; and if made, 
we trust that they were not accepted. But why this sud- 
den transition from hate to love?" 

Brother Greary, whether any "such advances were 
made" to Brother Maple, I "do not know." Certainly, 
we all "hope that no such advances were made; and if 
made, we trust that they were not accepted. But" — But 
what ? 

Brother Greary, our historian cautiously refrains from 
saying anything positive, while all the while he is art- 
fully insinuating the thing. If Mr. Allen knew that any 
such " offer" was made to Brother Maple, he might have 



MR. craig's statement. 107 

stated his knowledge ; if, however, he he did not 7cnow y 
he might properly have withheld his insinuation : — es- 
pecially as he was writing a " History," whose boast is 
that it is " A Collection of Facts." 

Take another example. — On the forty-eighth page of 
this " History," referring to something written by Mr. 
Fay in defence of the College Agents, Mr. Allen puts 
the following questions : — 

" Why is Mr. Fay so very sensitive about the agents? 
Is it because a part of the large per-centage which he 
was instrumental in according to A. S. Dean, went into 
his own pocket ?" 

The way that our historian puts these questions is 
likely to give readers the impression that Mr. Fay had 
entered into some sort of conspiracy with a College 
Agent, and had divided spoils with him. However, 
here as elsewhere, Mr. Allen does not "say" the thing. 
And yet, should he be charged with constructing these 
questions so as to yield his readers the ready inference 
that Mr. Fay was guilty of dishonesty; I see not how 
Mr. Allen could answer the charge better than by this 
answer, which he says he once made to Professor 
Warriner: " Well, Mr. Warriner, I wish you to under- 
stand that I do not consider myself responsi- 
ble for all the suppositions and inferences of people." 
(" History," page 150.) 

King Charles the Second once asked the Royal Socie- 
ty, Why a vessel of water receives no addition to its 
weight by a dead fish being put into it. When, however, 
it was found on trial that the dead fish really added its 
own weight to the vessel of water which received it ; the 
E-oyal Quibbler could have answered that he had not 
said it did not, and that he did not consider himself re- 
sponsible for all the inferences of people. # 



108 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

But, Mr. Allen is " responsible for the inferences of 
people," whenever he so frames his sentences that his 
readers must inevitably infer some untruth. Of such 
sort is an instance on the two hundred and thirteenth 
page of his " History;" where Mr. Allen writes that Mr. 
Mann " seems to find it quite a tax to read a prayer oc- 
casionally in the College Chapelt" 

About reading Prayers. 

Now, Brother G-eary, let us draw some " inferences." 
But, first, I wish to tell you that, in this sentence, Mr. 
Allen italicizes the words, u to read a prayer" and the 
words, " College Chapel." (Italics, you know, are used 
to mark emphasis, and to call particular attention.) Ob- 
serve, furthermore, that at the end of the sentence, Mr. 
Allen places his favorite typographical figure of speech, — 
the mark of surprise (!) ; indicating that there is some- 
thing surprising in the sentence, — (and, verily, there 
& "!") 

Once more, Brother G-eary, let us carefully note Mr. 
Allen's sentence : "He [Horace Mann] seems to find it 
quite a tax to read a prayer occasionally in the " College 
Chapel!" 

Now for the "inferences." First, from the italicizing of 
the words " College Chapel" I infer that the historian 
meant to give the impression that Mr. Mann never prays 
anywhere else, (and even there only "occasionally.") 
Secondly, from the italicizing of the words " to read a 
prayer" I infer that the historian meant his readers to 
get the impression that whenever Mr. Mann " occasion- 
ally" prays in the "College Chapel," he "reads a prayer." 
I think, Brother Geary, that Mr. Allen is " responsible 



MR. craig's statement. 109 

for" this "inference;" and, if so, lie is responsible for 
the falsehood which it contains. 

Brother Geary, I regularly attended the Chapel services 
of Antioch College during several months of the College- 
year 1855-6. At that time there was an arrangement, 
according to which each of the Professors, in rotation, 
preached in the College Chapel twice on Sunday, and led 
the devotions in the Chapel during the week following. 
Mr. Mann took his "turn" with the others. Again, I 
regularly attended the Chapel services during the three 
terms of the College-year 1857-8. During those terms, 
the week-day Chapel services were generally conducted 
by Brother Weston and myself. Mr. Mann, however, 
offered morning prayers during several weeks of that 
year. Moreover, at my request, Mr. Mann has some- 
times offered the opening or closing prayer at the preach- 
ing services in the College Chapel. And, Brother Geary, 
I never but once knew Mr. Mann " to read a prayer;" 
and that was not " in the College Chapel,'' 1 but in the 
"Christian Church" of Yellow Springs, when (at its ded- 
ication,) he read as a Scripture lesson, Solomon's Prayer 
at the dedication of the Temple. 

That is what I know of the matter. However, if we 
may credit " History," Mr. Mann " seems to find it quite 
a tax to read a prayer occasionally, in the College Chapel!" 
The mark of surprise with which Mr. Allen emphasizes 
this one of his " Facts," is surprisingly appropriate. 

" Beading Circles." 

The final paragraph of Mr. Allen's " History" is a 
fitting close to such a book. I subjoin the paragraph 
entire, italics and all : 



110 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

" May our brethren not only look well to their educa- 
tional interests, but also be very vigilant of their relig- 
ious rights and immunities. May they not, on the one 
hand, be narrow minded, nor cling with a blind tenacity 
to rites and doctrines simply because they are hoary with 
age ; nor on the other, may they be charmed by new 
' isms' simply because they are new and specious ; nor be 
led astray by such recent Antioch renovations as the 
substitution of reading circles for Sabbath evening prayer- 
meeting, and the liberalistic theology for Christianity ; but 
may they pursue the golden mean, the path of heavenly 
wisdom, the narrow way that leadeth unto life eternal." 

In this paragraph, Brother Geary, pious exhortations 
are combined with deceptive and slanderous statements. 
For, subtracting from the paragraph that portion which 
may be called pious exhortation, there will remain the 
allegation of " such recent Antioch renovations, as the 
substitution of reading circles for Sabbath evening prayer- 
meetings, and the liberalistic theology for Christianity ;" 
in which allegation, the first charge is deceptive, and the 
second slanderous. 

Brother G-eary, I think it properly falls to me to expose 
these charges; because I initiated those "reading circles" 
and I was the College preacher during the last College- 
year. 

Let me tell you, Brother Geary, how those " reading 
circles" came to be substituted "for Sabbath evening 
prayer-meetings," also what those "reading circles" were. 

Those "Sabbath evening prayer-meetings" were rarely 
attended by more than twelve or fifteen students. Sab- 
bath evening, January 17th, 1858, [only six students 
being present,] I proposed a plan for interesting a larger 
number of students in a Sabbath evening religious-meet- 



MR. craig's statement. Ill 

ing. Briefly this : to remove from the sombre school- 
room, to the pleasant parlors in " Ladies' Hall," and to 
invite all the students to meet us there for religious read- 
ing and conversation. The plan included also singing 
and prayer. 

We agreed to try the experiment. Accordingly, on 
Sunday evening, January 31, 1 gave the invitation to the 
students at their tea-table, where about half of the whole 
number were assembled. This was nearly one hour be- 
fore the time appointed for the "reading circle." At the 
appointed time, about a hundred persons [most of them 
students,] assembled. I read to them the 5th, 6th and 
7th chapters of that devout and inspiring book, Sears' 
11 Furegleams of Immortality." I risk nothing in saying 
that " every lover of a free and pure Christianity," might 
do well to " obtain and read this book." The reading 
received marked attention, and an animated conversation 
on the subjects of the chapters followed. The meeting 
closed with a hymn. The success of this experiment 
was so evident, that we deemed it best to continue the 
"reading circles." We had four other " reading circles" 
that term. The attendance ranged from fifty to about a 
hundred. These were the subjects of our readings : 
" Death," " The Resurrection," " The Organic Connec- 
tion of the Present and the Future Life," " The Soul's 
Home," " The Heavenly Peace," " The Judgment Day," 
"Christ as the Judge," and "The Glorified Saviour," 
— all from the " Foregleams." 

At the beginning of the next term, we tried the prayer- 
meetings again, but concluded to return to the "reading 
circles." So, Sunday evening, April 25th, found us 
once more in the parlors, with between fifty and sixty 
hearers, to whom some pages were read out of Sears' 



112 EE JOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

book on " Regeneration." All but one of the remaining 
Sunday evenings of that term, we met in the same place, 
having good attendance and excellent attention. We 
read and conversed about " The Natural Man," "Heredi- 
tary Corruption," "The Adam of St. Paul," "The Holy 
Spirit," " Regeneration," " Choice," "Conflict and Vic- 
tory," " The Mediator," &c. One evening we read from 
"The Eclipse of Faith," the chapter entitled, "The 
Blank Bible." Our last "reading circle" was held Sun- 
day evening, June 27th, just before the close of that 
College-year. It was attended by nearly sixty. We had 
singing at those " reading circles," Brother Geary, in 
which many joined. We used as our singing book that 
excellent collection of our Eastern brethren — "The 
Christian Harp." I can even now, almost hear the 
touching tones of that sweet hymn, " Jesus died on Cal- 
vary 's mountain" We sang it more than once. We had 
prayer, too, at those " reading circles," Brother Geary. 
They were not " substituted for Sabbath evening prayer- 
meetings," in order to get rid of prayer! Brother Geary, 
we believed that they would prove promotive of the in- 
terests of the " prayer-meetings." Accordingly, I hear 
without surprise, that at the present time "the Sabbath 
evening prayer-meetings" held at Ahtioch College are 
very well attended. The average attendance at these 
" reading circles," was five times greater than that at the 
" Sabbath evening prayer-meetings." 

I appeal to you, therefore, Brother Geary, whether our 
well-meant efforts to interest the students in the most 
sacred themes deserved any such deceptive and ungener- 
ous slur as that where Mr. Allen expresses the hope that 
" our brethren" may not " be led astray by such recent 



MR. CRAIG'S STATEMENT. llo 

Antioch renovations, as the substitution of reading circles 
for Sabbath-evening prayer-meetings." 

One word more on this topic. Strictly speaking, the 
"reading circles" were not a "recent Antiock renovation," 
for more than three years before the first Sabbath-eyejuViy 
" reading circle," — namely, Sunday Sept. 23, 1855, I 
attended two Sabbath-day " reading circles," held in the 
Chapel of Antioch College. It was the only time that 
I ever knew Prof. Ira W. Allen, personally, to take his 
" turn" in preaching to the students. That Sunday, 
[whether it was then a " recent Antioch renovation" or 
not, I "do not know,"] — but that Sunday, Professor Allen 
"substituted" for the customary preaching, the reading 
of two Unitarian sermons ; one by Channing, and the 
other by Samuel Osgood. And, " excellent sermons they 
were; and very well read by Professor Allen. 

" Liber alistic Theology" at Antioch. 

I pass now to the second charge in Mr. Allen's alleged 
" recent Antioch renovations," — namely, " the substitu- 
tion of the liberalistic theology for Christianity." 

This, Brother Geary, is the most injurious charge that 
could be made to "our brethren" against Antioch College. 

Brother Geary, the charge is not true. 

What are we to understand by " liberalistic theology?" 
Mr. Allen defines the term, by way of synonyme, on the 
forty-first page of his book. He there states that " the 
liberalistic [Theodore Parker] leaven is slowly but surely 
leavening the whole mass" at Antioch. From this I in- 
fer that by u liberalistic theology" Mr. Allen means Theo- 
dore Parkerism. 

And who is chargeable with this "recent Antioch ren* 
ovation" — this "substitution of" Theodore Parkerism 
10 



114 REJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

"for Christianity." Of course, the odium must fall on 
the College preacher, and " Elder Austin Craig" was the 
preacher at Antioch last College-year. The same "Elder 
Craig," concerning whom Mr. Allen [on the ninety- sec- 
ond page of his "History,"] quotes an anonymous news- 
paper scribbler as saying, that " according to the symp- 
toms indicated by the papers, our divinity was hick at 
Yellow Springs," and "the doctor has gone to its relief." 

Indeed ! And pray, what was the result of " the 
doctor's" visit? — did he renovate the "sick divinity?" 
Renovate it! (some reader of history may exclain ) truly, 
he did renovate it, with a vengeance ! for Prof. Allen's 
book tells us of "recent Antioch renovation," one of 
which was "the substitution of the liberalistic theology 
for Christianity." 

And, Brother Geary, there are other things in Mr. 
Allen's book, collateral to these, which a reader will be 
likely to think of. For instance ; the reader finds it stat- 
ed that Horace Mann was urgent in getting Mr. Fay ad- 
opted by the Christian Church in Yellow Springs, as pas- 
tor : — the same Elder Fay, whom Mr. Allen declares to 
be "religiously, perhaps, several points below Theodore 
Parkerism." If, then, Mr. Mann was so anxious to have 
a Parkerite pastor of the Christian Church in Yellow 
Springs ; much more anxious might he well be to have 

a Parkerite preacher in his own College-chapel. 

Perhaps, therefore, the reader may draw an "inference" 
when he reads in Mr. Allen's book that " Mr. Mann was 
much pleased with Eld. Austin Craig 's religious opinions, 
and had desired ever since the College opened, to get 
him into Antioch as an instructor." — I think the reader 
must draw an "inference" from this : for, when the read- 



MR. craig's statement. 115 

cr reflects that last year "Elder Austin Craig" was at 
"Antioch as instructor;" he may remember that last year 
also " the liberalistic ( Theodore Parker ) leaven" was 
"slowly but surely leavening the whole mass." And, 
when the reader further reflects that, last year " Elder 
Austin Craig" was the College-preacher also; he may 
then be ready to infer that this fact accounts for the al- 
ledged " substitution of the liberalistic theology for Christ- 
ianity." 

But, Brother Geary, all this network of suggestions 
and hints is a tissue of untruth : for "the liberalistic the- 
ology" ["Theodore Parkerism"] was not substituted for 
Christianity at Antioch last year. I, who was the preacher 
at Antioch last year, say that I know of no "substitution 
for Christianity" made at Antioch last year. 

Brother Geary, I arrived at Antioch last year, one 
month after the College year began. From the time of 
my arival' until the end of the College-year, I preached 
all the sermons that were heard at Antioch, except seven ; 
most of these seven being preached by visiting ministers 
of various denominations. 

Sketch of a Sermon preached at Antioch. 

I had prepared a list of the texts and topics of my 
Antioch sermons of the last College-year, meaning to add 
them to this communicaton ; but the length of the com- 
munication seemed to demand their omission. I accord- 
ingly content myself with giving you a sketch of my 
introductory sermon. It was preached, Sunday, Oct. 11, 
1857. As I knew that the College-preaching would fall 
to my lot during the year, I purposely initiated my minis- 
trations with an explicit declaration of my faith and 



116 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

doctrine, unwilling to have "the trumpet give an uncer- 
tain sound." 

My text was from "First Corinthians ;" fifteenth chap- 
ter ; first, second, third and fourth verses. I laid emphasis 
upon the following words : — 

The gospel — by which ye are saved, — first of all — that 
Christ died for our sins, — and that he was buried, and that 
he rose again — according to the scriptures. 

I proceed, Brother Geary, to give you a sketch of the 
" Theodore Parkerism " that was " substituted for Christ- 
ianity" on that occasion. 

The preacher's first point was, that, according to Paul, 
the "Gospel" is not a natural, human Discovery, for the 
Improvement of Mankind; but is a supernatural, divine 
Revelation, for the Saivation of Mankind. 

Second point : — that the marrow and life of the " Gos- 
pel" is Christ ; — not a system of Theological Ideas, nor 
a Code of Ecclesiastical Polity ; but an incarnated Di- 
vine Person, containing and expressing "all the fulness 
of the Godhead," and therefrom filling all things. — 
Take Christ out of the Gospel, and you leave it meaning- 
less and unprofitable. " Without me, you can do nothing." 

Third point: — that Christ is related to Mankind as 
" Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," 
chiefly through those three cardinal facts of the Gospel, 
his Death, Burial and Resurrection. Furthermore, that 
the Death of Christ ( though accomplished "by wicked 
hands ") was foreordained by the Father; since He "died 
for our sins — according to the Scriptures;" that is, accor- 
ding to the purpose of God foretold by His prophets. 
Moresver, that the Death of Christ is God's special tes- 
timony concerning the Enormity of Sin, and His su- 



MR. craig's statement. 117 

preme Displeasure against sin; though, at the same time, 
the Death of Christ is a special token of God's Love to 
the Sinner. So that the Blood of Christ is the one foun- 
dation of Evangelical Conviction of Sin and Assurance 
of Pardon. 

The import of the Burial of Christ ; I may here omit. 

The Resurrection of Christ may be viewed, first, as his 
Visible Beturn from the Dead. Thus viewed, Christ's 
Besurrection is G-od's miraculous attestation to the truth 
of Christ's testimony, and to the divineness of his mis- 
sion. But, secondly, we may consider the Besurrection 
of Christ as initiating and involving that entire series 
of divine outpourings of truth and energy and love, con- 
nected with our Justification, and issuing from His 
Glorification when he passed through the heavens to the 
right-hand of God, where now he ever liveth to make 
intercession for us, and to organize and renew the things 
in heaven and the things in earth, and the things under 
the earth, until the last enemy be put under his feet, and 
God be all in all. 

You have here, Brother Geary, an outline of the first 
sermon that I preached at Antioch last College-year. 
At the close of such a sermon it was not improper to en- 
force the simple gospel " by which we are saved," with 
the Apostle's own warning : — " Though we, or an angel 
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than 
that which we have preached, let him be anathama ! " 

I preached in Antioch Chapel last College-year, twen- 
ty-eight sermons. 1 preached no little at the " Sabbath 
evening reading circles." I delivered thirty-seven lec- 
tures to the Senior class on the Evidences of Christianity 
— several of which lectures needed only a text to have 



118 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

made them sermons in form. Besides, I held meetings 
several Sunday mornings with a class in the Greek New 
Testament; reading to them and expounding portions of 
the Gospel of St. John. All of these preachings and 
teachings, I believe to have been in doctrinal harmony 
with the sketch of my first sermon above given. The 
remaining religious teachings at Antioch College during 
the last College-year were those connected with the Sun- 
day afternoon Bible-Class and the Sunday evening Pray- 
er-meeting : but as both these had been in existence for 
years, and were conducted last year substantially as be- 
fore, Mr. Allen's charge of "recent renovations" cannot 
be understood of them. That charge, Brother Geary, im- 
plicates the College preachers of last year, and is — as you 
have seen — utterly groundless. 

Brother Geary, my unpleasant duty is performed. I 
have given you my testimony relative to such portions of 
this "History" as I have personal knowledge of. I have 
added to this some criticism upon the spirit and general 
execution of the work. Beyond this, I have not tried to 
go. I have not said, Brother Geary, that the book does 
not contain many true and important statements respect- 
ing the history of Antioch College. I have not said 
that the conduct of Antioch affairs (especially its finan- 
cial affairs,) has been what it should have been. The 
spirit which prevailed among us so extensively when we 
were building the " great Antioch College " has worked 
out its appropriate result. " He that exalteth himself 
shall be" — assigned! We will try to learn humility 
from the Providential lesson. Furthermore, Brother 
Geary, I have not said that Mr. Allen was not an able 
and acceptable instructor in the College. Of his booh, I 



MR. craig's statement. 119 

have said that as a fair history of Antioch College, I 
can not receive it : I am sorry to have had such severe 
things to say about it. 

And now, Brother Geary, (if it might be permitted 
me to say so much,) I would like to tell the author of 
this " History " that I cherish no ill will towards him : 
and that I think he will hereafter see cause to modify the 
statements and expressions of several portions of his 
book. I trust it will not seem invidious also to say that 
errors originating in an intense excitement of the feel- 
ings, or an excessive zeal, are not to be judged with too 
much severity in a young man of great natural force and 
energy. When Saint Augustine was in the ripeness of 
his age, he published a volume of "Retractions," taking 
back those things which he had rashly written in his im- 
mature years. The Christian world applauds the u Re- 
tractions" of Augustine. 

Brother Geary, farewell, 

AUSTIN CRAIG. 

Blooming Grove, JV". Y., April 13, 1859. 



MR. WESTON'S STATEMENT. 



To those who know me I need not say how reluctant 
I am to engage in a discussion of a personal nature. My 
maxim has always been to say nothing derogatory to the 
character of anyone, unless some good purpose demanded 
it. And now, although my name has been dragged be- 
fore the public and wanton and unprovoked attacks made 
upon it, I would willingly bear it in silence, knowing 
that the slanderer's course is short, and that all the time 
the bitterness is in his own bosom, were it not that in 
this case, the interests of the Christian denomination, and 
of Autioch College, either of which are far dearer to me 
than my own, were primarily aimed at and made to suffer 
by these slanders. For the sake of these higher inter- 
ests, therefore, I propose to make a few statements to the 
public respecting matters alluded to in I. W. Allen's 
book, which he calls "A History of the Rise, Difficulties, 
and Suspension of Antioch College." I propose to give 
a plain narrative of facts and convictions, as they came 
to my knowledge, or forced themselves upon my mind, 
and thereby show the reason of the conclusions to which 
I have been led. 

But whatever I say, I shall endeavor to say in a spirit 
of Christian candor: for I have no disposition to descend 
to the low innuendoes with which his book abounds. 



mr. weston's statement. 121 

Coming to Antioch. 

It is known to those who know me, that I came to An- 
tioch College at a mature age, having already been sev- 
eral years in public life; at an age when most persons 
would have thought themselves too old to commence a 
Collegiate course. I had, for some years, had a deep and 
personal interest in the public affairs of the Christian 
denomination. I took an early part in the movement in 
behalf of the College, was a member of the "Marion Con- 
vention" where its erection was determined on, and was, 
for nearly a year, its agent in New England. 

So I came to the College in Nov. 1853, about one 
month after it opened, with a deeper interest in it, its 
principles, and the denomination which founded it, than 
belonged to a student merely. In December, I entered 
its most advanced class — then Freshmen. Throughout 
my Collegiate course, though not officious in College af- 
fairs, I was not ignorant or careless of what pertained to 
its well-being. I had an outside knowledge of many of 
the difficulties which arose, though I was never made ac- 
quainted with the deep-laid plans of mischief, developed 
in the unmasking of Ira W. Allen, which his recent 
course has necessitated. 

Besides being a student, I taught a class in the Insti- 
tution every term I was here, except one. I knew of 
the jealousies which existed among some of the teachers, 
(fostered chiefly, as I now believe, by Mr. Allen,) and of 
the charges against Mr. Mann, of local and denomina- 
tional partiality. In his book the author seeks to make 
the impression that I was a large participant in these 
jealousies and charges ; but it is not so. No person ever 
heard me say that I believed Mr. Mann to possess or to 



122 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

indicate any prejudice against any teacher on account of 
his or her denominational relations. I always averred 
the contrary, as Elder D. P. Pike, who was one of the 
Trustees, and an intimate personal friend, as well as others 
to whom I expressed my conviction, can testify. With 
some of those who entertained such feelings, I was on 
friendly terms ; and when I expressed to them that I met 
none of the prejudices of which they complained, I was 
told, "You are only a student now, and have but one 
class; so you do not meet it. But when you are once 
graduated, if you should become a candidate for a place 
here, you would fare no better than the rest of us; you 
would find what we say to be true." I never went out of 
my way, during my course, to court the favor of Mr. 
Mann, or any one else. I have never wavered in my 
firm adhesion to the Christian denomination and its in- 
terests, and to what I believe to be the spirit, principles 
and measures which belong to New Testament piety. 
And my appointment upon the Faculty, unsolicited as it 
was by me, either directly or indirectly, by word or act, 
and which was brought about chiefly through the instru- 
mentality of Mr. Mann, I consider a complete refutation 
of the charges which were made. 

Graduation, — Plans for the Future. 
I finished my collegiate course and graduated July 1, 
1857; just at the time of the assignment of the College 
property. My intention had been to spend a year or 
two more, at least, in studies in some other institution. 
"With this intention I had declined offers much more fa- 
vorable, in every worldly view, than any position in An- 
tioch College which I might expect. From my four- 
teenth year, I have devoted my life, however imperfectly, 



mr. weston's statement. 123 

to God and to the Christian denomination. To furnish 
myself the better for my work, I had given four years to 
study here, and, for the same purpose, I intended to 
spend additional time elsewhere. And nothing but an 
imperious conviction of duty, supported by the advice of 
wise and judicious friends, could have induced me to fore- 
go that intention. 

But the assignment, which was advised and approved by 
the wisest and best friends of the Institution and of the 
denomination, placed its affairs in a new position. The 
property must be sold to satisfy the claims against it, 
and the only hope lay in the formation of a new Corpora- 
tion, to buy it when sold, and to continue the Institu- 
tion, without any material change in its original spirit 
and purpose. 

False and Unjust Charges upon the Assignors. 

This assignment is made a special object of attack, 
through labyrinth of pages in our author's "History." 
He calls it "the wily scheme of a designing man, or 
clique;" says that its intention was "to take Antioch 
College from its denominational basis,'" "to exclude from 
the Board of Instruction, Prof. Doherty, Holmes, [but 
Holmes was reappointed] Allen, and all other true rep- 
resentatives of the Christians," &c. 

Now, who are the men who are hereby maligned? who 
were the dramatis personw of this "one act of Mr. Mann's 
drama?" The committee who unanimously recommend- 
ed the assignment, were Messrs. F. A. Palmer, P. P. 
Pike, H. W. Bellows, William Mills and John Phillips. 
A foremost stab, then, falls, among others, upon Elder 
D. P. Pike, of Mass., a man of sound discretion, and a 
man than whom one of firmer moral and denominational 



124 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

integrity does not live. Mr. Allen himself, when it suits 
his purpose, lavishes on him a profusion of maudlin en- 
comiums ; but, here, when the contrary suits him better, 
he does not hesitate, by implication, to make him the vic- 
tim of this secret and felonious thrust. Certainly, from 
the friendship which he has shown to Mr. Allen, Mr. 
Pike deserved better treatment at his hands. But friend 
and foe are sacrificed with equal cold-bloodedness upon 
the altar of his selfishness. 

Not only upon these men does this blow fall, but also 
upon the other Trustees who voted for the assignment, 
of whom were Elders Araasa Stanton, J. C. Burghdurf, 
Eli Fay, and Messrs. John Kershner, J. P. Corey, W. R. 
King, James Maxwell and Samuel Stafford, all men of 
long standing in our membership, and whose fidelity is 
shown by their works. What have these men done to 
merit his malediction ? 

What does our author mean to say ? that these men 
were originally all knaves or fools ? or that they were 
be-knaved or be-fooled for the time being by Mr. Mann? 
If the latter, why does not the charm break from some of 
them, so that they can tell by what process of incanta- 
tion they were played upon ? 

The truth is, that that assignment was recommended 
and approved by the best of men, and for the best of mo- 
tives, and Mr. Allen knew it. It is an after-thought of 
his false-heartedness, when he saw that by this occasion 
"his sin had found him out," that he thus turns around 
and condemns it and them.] 

Arrangements for Continuing the School. 
With the expectation of the accomplishment of the 
above-named result, the Trustees took steps at the same 
time to have the educational work of the College contin- 



mr. weston's statement. 125 

ue, though the property was in the hands of anAssignee. 
The assignment was deemed to have put an end to the 
relations existing between the Trustees and the Faculty, 
and measures were taken to organize a new Faculty for 
the ensuing year — believing that within that time, ar- 
rangements could be made for the transfer of the Col- 
lege to the new corporation. Mr. Mann was invited, by 
vote of the Trustees, to resume his position as President, 
and Hon. Aaron Harlan, Rev. Dr. Bellows, and Elder 
Eli Fay, were appointed a Committee to secure a corps 
of Professors. 

Among the Trustees present at that session was Elder 
D. P. Pike of Newburyport, Mass., between whom and 
myself a firm and constant friendship has existed since 
our first acquaintance in 1843. As usual, while here he 
made his home with me ; and we had frequent conversa- 
tions on the condition and prospects of the College and 
its relations to the denomination. He stopped some 
days after the commencement, and was consulted by Mr. 
Fay respecting the appointments to be made upon the 
Faculty. It was desired to retain the old members as 
far as could consistently be done. But over eighty, 
among the best students of the College had expressed, in 
a written remonstrance, their decided dissatisfaction with 
the Professor of Rhetoric, Rev. W. H. Doherty, and it 
was deemed impolitic to re-appoint him against so strong 
a demonstration. Professors Warriner and Cary, \*ho 
had made themselves respected by all, both for their 
ability as teachers and their character as gentlemen, and 
against whom no party had breathed a suspicion, it was 
thought should be retained, of course. As to Professor 
Allen, I knew that by many of the students he was 
deemed a good man for his department, and by many 



126 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

others he was much disliked. I knew, too, that his feel- 
ing toward Mr. Mann and Mrs. Dean were by no means 
cordial and friendly ; though they had never said anything 
to me in any way prejudicial to him. From his represent- 
ation, however, I had been led to believe that they were 
really unfriendly to him; perhaps unjustly so. Between 
him and Professors Warriner and Cary, I had no rea- 
son to believe that any other than the most friendly re- 
lations existed. I was greatly surprised, therefore, to 
learn from Elder Fay, in a conversation with Elder Pike, 
that when these men were asked to resume their position 
as members of the Faculty, they utterly refused, if Prof. 
Allen was also to be retained. They said that he had 
manifested such a character and disposition during their 
acquaintance with him, that they would never consent to 
become members of a Faculty of which he was also one. 
Had such an announcement come, in the first instance, 
from Mr. Mann or Mrs. Dean, I might have been led to 
attribute it to an unjust feeling of personal hostility to 
Mr. Allen ; but, coming from Professor Warriner and 
Cary, whose candor and impartiality had never been call- 
ed in question, even by those who were on the sharpest 
scent for any delinquencies in that direction, I could not 
but believe that there was some good cause ; though, 
what it was, as yet, I had no means of knowing. It was 
thus early seen that the probabilities were strong against 
either Professor Doherty or Allen's being retained. 

Professor Holmes was then in Europe ; but was de- 
signing, as I knew, to return in season for the commence- 
ment of the Fall Term, and resume his Chair as Profes- 
sor of Greek, for which he had been for over two years 
devoting himself to earnest study, under the best German 
Professors. Elder Pike inquired of Mr. Fay, if Profes- 



mr. weston's statement. 127 

sor Holmes would be retained in his place, Mr Fay said 
he had had no consultation with the committee on that 
point. So far as he was concerned, it would be desirable. 
He did not know how Mr. Mann would ieel about it, but 
he thought there would be no objection. Mr. Pike after- 
wards saw Mr. Mann, and, in conversation on the subject, 
Mr. Mann said that he not only did not object, but, on 
his part he should be very desirous, to have Professor 
Holmes resume his Chair. A few days afterward Mr. 
Mann expressed the same to me. 

Subsequently, Mr. Pike hinted to me, that he thought 
that I should have an invitation to take the place which 
some had wished me to take, the year before, viz: the 
Principalship of the Preparatory Department. He knew 
my plans and purposes. I asked him whether on condi- 
tion that Professors Doherty and Allen should not be re- 
appointed, and Professor Holmes should be — he would 
advise me to accept an appointment if one should be 
offered me. He advised me to accept it. 

As the opening of the College for the succeeding year, 
depended on the raising of money to meet its annual ex- 
penses, no appointment of Teachers could be made except 
contingently upon the same conditions: which condi- 
tions, however, all had confidence would be fulfilled. 
Before Elder Pike left, enough was known of the wishes 
of all concerned to decide that Professor Holmes was 
unanimously desired to resume his Chair; and Mr. Pike 
was requested by Mr. Fay of the committee, and by Mr. 
Mann, to meet Prof. Holmes immediately on his land- 
ing in Boston, and acquaint him with the state of the Col- 
lege affairs, and convey to him their desire for him still 
to constitute one of the Faculty. 

About a week after Elder Pike left, I also was to leave 



128 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

to spend the summer with my friends in New-England. 
In the meantime I was called on by Elder Fay, and re- 
quested to take the position to which Elder Pike had al- 
luded; subject, of course, to the above-named contingency 
of raising funds. In view of the circumstances of the Col- 
lege; knowing what had been done in the case of Profes- 
sor Holmes, the enjoyment of whose companionship 
would be a consideration which I should highly prize ; 
and, knowing, too, his own intention to return to his 
Chair; and also, having had beforehand the advice of one 
in whom I had great confidence ; I agreed to take 
the place, if the committee should see fit to appoint me. 
No formal appointments were yet made, except that of 
Mr. Mann, who had been chosen by the Trustees. 

[Professor Holmes' design to return to Antioch. 
I have said, I knew Professor Holmes was designing to 
return. Mr. Allen and some of his correspondents in- 
sinuate the contrary. Mr. Allen speaks [p. 154] of my 
accepting the appointment when I had " good reason to 
believe that Prof. Doherty, Holmes * * nor Allen, would 
have anything to do with said school." One of his sat- 
ellites, who echoes what he has told him and then is 
rewarded by having his echo printed in the book; and 
whose friendship for Professor Holmes, has been seen in 
nothing but in helping Mr. Allen in an underhanded man- 
ner to the unjust data which he made use of to the damage 
of Professor Holmes at the time of his leaving for Eu- 
rope, and in the high-sounding words of false pretense in 
which he sings the Tenor to Allen's Bass ; this man 
whom Mr. Allen calls " Professor (! !) H. D. Burlin- 
gaioe," says in a letter to me on this point after a large 
quantity of equally false allegations: " knowing, as you 



mr. weston's statement. 129 

did, that Professor Holmes had said repeatdly, that he 
would never again occupy his Chair in the Faculty unless 
Mrs. Holmes was restored to her place, * * * * there 
must have been more faith than reason in your expecta- 
tion of Professor Holmes' society." 

Knowing, as I do, both from my own knowledge and 
from the corroborative testimony of other unimpeachable 
witnesses, including Professor Holmes and Mrs. Holmes 
themselves, the two-faced part which Allen and Burlin- 
game acted, toward Professor Holmes in the difficulties 
which he met here in the Spring of 1855; how can I 
be otherwise than disgusted and impatient with their 
fulsome and hypocritical laudation : — disgusted at their 
voluntary praises, (for which I know Professor Holmes 
does not thank them,) when, at a time when they thought 
their purposes of self-promotion would be better served 
by a contrary course, they did not hesitate to seek, by 
secret and unjust measures, to injure him in the minds 
of Faculty, Trustees and students. 

But, to their allegations. I did know that Professor 
Holmes was designing to return to Antioch. / knew it 
from his own letters to me. Mr. Burlingame doubtless 
makes his allegation on the authority of Mr. Allen, which 
is Worse than no authority. But the fraternal relations 
and intercourse, between Professor Holmes and myself 
which have continued, uninterrupted and unabated, from 
the time of the Marion Convention till now, (Allen & 
Co ; s despicable attempt to eifect the contrary notwith- 
standing,) were such as to make our correspondence, dur- 
ing his residence in Europe, intimate, frequent and con- 
fidential ; as much so, I presume, as he had with any 
one in America. I knew his employment and his plans. 
But assertions, such as are alleged by Mr. Burlingame, 



130 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

he never made to me. On the contrary, in a letter from 
Berlin, dated July 3d, 1856, — the letter which gives in- 
formation of the safe arrival of Mrs. Holmes, and their 
journey from England to Berlin — he says, " I have no 
intention of forsaking Antioch yet." Similar to this was 
the tone of all his letters. From Geneva, April 10th, 
1857, in answer to what I had written him of my own 
plans for future study, to which I have before alluded, 
he writes: 

" Your plans. I hope sincerely that Providence may so 
order it that you shall remain at the Springs at least an- 
other year. / shall value your presence and co-operation 
much. * * * I think also that Antioch needs you." 
These expressions were voluntary. I had intimated no 
such hope or opinion. 

From Geneva, June 1st, 1857, only one month before 
the time of our Commencement, he wrote to me about 
some arangements for his passage home — expressing his 
desire to have me meet him in Boston, and stating some 
of his plans for his journey to Yellow Springs. This 
letter I received a very few days before the time when 
this matter of accepting a place here, was presented to 
my mind. He says: 

u It appears to me now that if I sail [from Liverpool] 
Aug. 8th, I shall reach Boston so as to spend Sabbath, 
23d, there, reach Ann Arbor [Mich., the home of his 
parents] 26th, remain there until Sept. 1st, then repair 
to the Springs in time to put my room in order and be 
on hand at the opening of the term, Sept. 9th. These 
are my plans, now make yours accordingly. * * * * I 
feel quite anxious that you should remain at Antioch, I 
think that is the field for you; but Heaven knows better 
than I do. Look there for light." 



MR. weston's statement. 131 

[Since the above was in type, I have received a note 
from Bro. Holmes, dated Portsmouth, N. H., June 20, 
1859, in which he says, "I am free to admit to you and 
to proclaim to all men, that up to the day of my landing 
in Boston, Aug. 13th, 1857, I had no other intention or 
expectation than that of resuming my labors in Antioch 
College at the opening of the next term."] 

I might give many more such extracts, but these are 
sufficient to show whether or not I was justified in ex- 
pecting to enjoy the companionship of Professor Holmes, 
and to show how much ground Messrs. Allen & Co. have 
for their slangish imputations to the contrary. They 
show, too, how much these self-elected champions really 
knew of Professor Holmes and his plans, and how far he 
thought them worthy of his confidence. 

" But Heaven knows better than I do. Look there 
for light." There spoke Br. Holmes. There is his 
spirit of Christian submission and faith in Grod. With 
such a man there is an atmosphere which it is wholesome 
to breath : — one's spirit is made stronger and purer by it. 
But I will not speak his praise. He does not ask it nor 
need it. Still, one cannot turn from the contemplation 
of such a character as I. W. Allen's to such a one as 
that of Thomas Holmes, without wishing to stop awhile 
and enjoy the relief. 

His advice corresponded with my own feelings. If I 
ever "looked to Heaven for light" in any matter of my 
life, I did and have in respect to my relations to Antioch 
College. And every new unfolding of Providence, eith- 
er in my private and family exeperiences or in public 
affairs, convinces me more and more that I have not mis- 
judged. To have fallen under the ban, and to have been 
made the victim of the misrepresentations of a man like 



132 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

I. W. Allen, is a million times outweighed by the privi- 
lege of being one of the number who have borne the 
burden of toil, of self-denial, of contumely and mis- 
representation, which was necessary to carry Antioch 
College through its two years of straits and difficulties, 
and of seeing it triumphant over the desperate and deter- 
mined opposition raised by him and his coadjutors, and 
secured to its original founders to carry out its original 
spirit and purpose.] 

Allen would have been glad to accept an Ap- 
pointment. 

On the evening before I left for New England, Mr. 
Allen called on me to inquire if I knew whether anything 
was determined on by the Committee in his case. As no 
action had at that time been taken, I could give him no 
light. He appeared very anxious to find out, either di- 
rectly or indirectly, whether he was to be re-appointed 
or not. He spoke of what he considered the improba- 
bility of the re-appointment either of Prof. Doherty or 
Holmes. I asked him (and I had a personal motive in 
asking) whether, if he should be re-appointed to his 
place and Professors Doherty and Holmes should not — 
he should accept the appointment. He replied that he 
had previously thought he should not : but, since Prof. 
Doherty had expressed to him that he [Doherty] should 
accept a re-appointment if tendered to him, whether he 
(Allen) was re-appointed or not, he thought it would be 
right for him to accept it if it should be tendered to him. 

Mr. Allen remembered this conversation when I re- 
ferred him to it during the winter following. 

My friends may be assured, that to see myself charg- 



mr. weston's statement. 133 

ed with denominational delinquency for accepting my 
appointment, expecting on good grounds to be associated 
with Prof. Holmes, and not knowing — however much I 
might suspect it — that there would be any other change 
in the Faculty than his return and my appointment would 
necessitate; and to see that charge made by a man who de- 
clared to me that he thought it would be right for him 
to accept a place, though he knew that neither " Prof. 
Doherty, Mc Kinney, Burlingame, Holmes," Weston nor 
any other one of the old teachers or new ones of those 
whom he calls, par excellence, the representatives of the 
Christian denomination, would have a place with him, — 
is to me one of the most striking exhibitions of the dif- 
ference which selfishness makes between rn&um and tuum. 
I went to Maine, enjoying on my way, pleasant visits 
with my old and tried friends Elders Edmunds of Boston, 
and Pike, of Newburyport. But before I left I was 
charged by Mr. Fay and Mr. Mann to urge Elder Pike 
not to fail to meet Prof. Holmes in Boston, and to com- 
municate to him their desires. 

He is not Re-appointed and Swears Vengeance. 

Mr. Allen, after his earnest importunities of the Com- 
mittee, learned that they declined to re-appoint him. 
He learned also of their action in the cause of Prof. 
Holmes and myself. Revenge was, then, evidently de- 
terminedon. A. M. Merriheld was here and entered into 
his plans. They were proclaimed so loud that it came to 
the ears of the members of my family who were here, 
that A. and M. were going East, and were going to meet 
Prof Holmes when he landed in Boston, and prevent 
him and myself from returning to the College. The 



134 RE JONIDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

object was to keep us from the College, to repudiate Mr. 
Mann, and others of the Faculty who belonged to the 
Christian Church, and to raise the cry that the Christian 
denomination had no part or lot in Antioch College. 

Early in August I received a letter from Mr. Fay in- 
forming me that I had been appointed by the Committee 
to the position in the new Faculty, which had been pro- 
posed to me before leaving Ohio; adding that the money 
to meet the annual expenses was not fully raised, though 
they had no doubt it would be, and that, if the term 
opened, I should be depended on. I answered, accept- 
ing the appointment, but aware of the contingency. 

I soon had a letter from Mr. Allen, expressing a re- 
markable interest in my welfare, and inviting me to meet 
him in Lowell, Mass., and be ready with him to meet 
Prof. Holmes on his arrival in Boston. He also made 
some serious complaints about the turn affairs were tak- 
ing at Antioch, and told me what were "Br. Merrifield's" 
views respecting the Presidency. 

About the same time I also received a letter from El- 
der Pike, from which I learned that Mr. Allen had been 
writing to him and soon would make him a visit. He 
had learned that Messrs. Doherty and Allen were not 
re-appointed, and that "the pot had begun to boil;" and 
he intimated that Bro. Edmunds of Boston, and some 
others of the New England friends " did not like the 
appearance of things." I answered, expressing my views 
in the matter — my confidence in the plans in behalf of 
the College proposed at Yellow Springs, at the time of 
the Trustees' meeting, and my conviction of the impor- 
tance of adhering to Antioch. 

My arrangement with Mr. Holmes had been to meet 
him in Boston and spend as much time with him there 



mr. weston's statement. 135 

as possible. We supposed, when this arrangement was 
made that that would be the only time I should have to 
spend with him for a long period; as he was expecting to 
return to Antioch, and I to spend the year in New Eng- 
land. He had said, too, that he could not delay to visit 
Newburyport or Portsmouth, but must hasten to Michi- 
gan to visit his parents and sister before coming to Yel- 
low Springs. After my purpose had been changed I still 
designed to meet him in Boston ; but when the time for 
his arrival approached, finding that it would take much 
of the time which I wished to spend with my friends in 
Maine, and supposing I should see him daily after my 
return to Yellow Springs, I decided not to go, but I 
wrote him a long letter, which I supposed he would get 
on his arrival. I also wrote to Bro. Pike that T could 
not go and that he must meet him without fail. 

Prof. Holmes arrives in Boston — Falls into the 
hands of Allen. 

Prof. Holmes arrived in Boston, Aug. 13, 1857. Bro. 
Pike, though in the city and seeking for him, failed to 
meet him. Mr. H. did not call at the post-office, and so 
did not receive my letter. The telegraph made known 
his whereabouts, and invited him to Newburyport. He 
went, and there met Mr. Allen. Here he heard Allen's 
story, and his only. Matters were represented to him as 
it might be expected that I. W. Allen would represent 
them when bent on preventing him from returning to 
Antioch. Mr. A. was now, of course, very demonstrative 
in his pretensions to disinterestedness and personal regard, 
and Bro. H. was led to put some confidence in what he 
said. He gave up his design of going directly to his 
father's, and visited Portsmouth, N. II . Here he met 



136 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

his old and warm-hearted friends, with whom he had 
lived and preached for three years, and met the converts 
with whom he had prayed and wept and rejoiced. It was 
like the return of a beloved father or brother to the 
bosom of his family. The Church had been for some 
time destitute of a pastor. They had also sold their 
house, and had no suitable place of worship. The ques- 
tion of life and death stared them in the face. If they 
could secure the services of Bro. Holmes, they might 
recover themselves, build a house and establish them- 
selves on a firm footing. They invited him to become 
their pastor. The appeal was strong. He foresaw that 
war was determined on Antioch, and that Allen was de- 
termined, if possible, to make the war denominational. 
Real difficulties, and unreal bug-bears of Allen's inven- 
tion were presented to his mind. "He thought he should 
enjoy his labors better in another place." He saw the 
state of affairs at Portsmouth. There were large " oppor- 
tunities for usefulness." He decided not to come to 
Antioch, but to go to Portsmouth. Thus, one object 
of Mr. Allen's visit to New England was accomplished. 

Bro. Holmes still remains at Portsmouth, having seen 
much of the work of God, and having rendered efficient 
service to our educational interests in New England. 
But he remains a fast and true friend of Antioch Col- 
lege, of the Christian denomination, and of President 
Mann, as his correspondence shows, and as was especially 
shown by his eloquent and effective speech on these top- 
ics, at the Quadrennial Convention in New- York City. 

A little later I had another letter from Elder Pike, 
written, I think, while Allen was at his house. This let- 
ter indicated that Allen was making considerable im- 
pression upon his mind. He gave an opinion that the 



mr. weston's statement. 137 

New-England Christians would turn their attention to 
their own school, and urged me to be at the meeting of 
tie Bond-signers and friends of Education in Haverhill, 
Mass., on the 25th of August. 

As this is the only letter which I received from a min- 
ister in which particular mention was made of my accept- 
ing a place on the College Faculty, I suppose it is to this 
that Allen refers when he says of me, [page 154] " He 
yielded and accepted contrary to the strong written ad- 
vice of, at least, one of our most influential ministers." 

But this letter contains no such advice; intimates no 
such thing. It is in my possession and will show for 
itself. I never had a letter from anybody that did give 
such advice, except from I. W. Allen. This letter was, 
doubtless, read to him by Bro. Pike before it was sent to 
me. He knew what it contained. Why did he falsify 
it? In the absence of conscience, he should be more 
cautious about his statements. 

I replied to this letter in the same tenor as before, ex- 
pressing my conviction that our only hope of denomina- 
tional success educationally, lay in Antioch College ; 
that if we divided on that, it would be impossible to unite 
in another general movement , and that although the 
sympathy of some might be drawn off by disaffection, 
still, at the worst, it had a stronger and more general 
hold of the hearts of our people than any other institu- 
tion ever could. All my convictions confirmed the policy 
of the measures proposed at Yellow Springs in July, and 
nothing had since transpired to warrant a change in tie 
views of any one, except the non-re-appointment cf 
Profs. Doherty and Allen, in full view of the strong 
probabilities of which these measures were proposed and 
assented to. 
12 



138 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

On the 21st of August, Mr. Allen wrote to me from 
Lowell, as follows, except the italics : 
"Friend Weston: — 

I thought when I left Yellow Springs that I should 
have the pleasure of meeting you ere this date ; but you 
have not been in this vicinity, and the expense to Skow- 
hegan and back being some $10 or $12, has prevented 
me from extending my trip so far to the N. E." 

[He never intimated to me before leaving Yellow 
Springs, an intention of going to Maine to visit me. 
What had awakened in him this new interest in me? 
The facts above mentioned and the remainder of his 
letter will show.] 

"I hope, however, to meet you at Haverhill next week. 
Can you not come down on Monday to Haverhill or to 
Newburyport, and then over to Haverhill by the morn- 
ing train of Tuesday, so that we can have an opportunity 
of canvassing matters a little before meeting opens? 

" From your last letter to Elder Pike, you seem inclin- 
ed to go back to Antioch! probably from the fact that 
you do not know all that has transpired of late at Yel- 
low Springs. 

" Profs. Holmes and Doherty and myself will not, 
probably, return to Antioch, and we all hope you will 
not. [Bid he not know in respect to Doherty and him- 
self? Why say "probably," then?] We don't wish to 
have any connection with the concern, unless it can ful- 
fil the original design of its founders, and we hope you 
have the same spirit; indeed, I know you have, or will 
have when you learn the present attitude of affairs. 

" Do not fail to be at Haverhill on Tuesday. * * * 

"Truly, yours, 
[Signed,] "Allen." 



MR. weston's statement. 139 

The only material change in the attitude of affairs at 
Yellow Springs since I left, was the making certain of 
what was then highly probable, namely: that Messrs. Do- 
herty and Allen would not be re-appointed. 

This letter shows that having succeeded in inducing 
Prof. Holmes not to return to Antioch, he was proceed- 
ing to the accomplishment of his next purpose, namely : 
to induce me not to return. It shows, also, that he had 
a plot, by cnvassing matters beforeha nd, to carry the 
friends of education in New England with him, ancf di- 
vorce them from Antioch. Into this plot he was anxious 
to draw me early. 

If I had believed that Antioch College would not ful- 
fil the original design of its founders, I would have had 
nothing to do with it ; but believing that it would do 
this, at least, far more nearly than it could be done else- 
where, his letter did not seriously impress me. 

The Haverhill Meeting — Its Attempts and Re- 
sults. 

On the 25th of August I went to Haverhill to attend 
the meeting referred to. I there met Prof. Holmes with 
his warm hand and true heart. I learned that he had 
not received notice of his re-appointment to his Chair of 
Greek. [I afterwards learned the fact that the Committee 
notified him of his appointment, by letter, as soon as they 
heard that he had arrived in America; but, as he was 
travelling, he failed to receive it. They would have tel- 
egraphed to him if they had known where a message 
could reach him. As it was, he received no notice of the 
fact until his arrival in Yellow Springs.] I also met Mr. 
Allen and Mr. A. M. Merrifield. The meeting was not 
numerously attended, but several of the influential min- 
isters and friends in New England were present. 



140 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

On arriving in town I met for the first time the fright- 
ful stories of the irreligious influence of Mr. Mann and 
the College — of the infidelity of Mr. Fay, and of the ru- 
inous division which was alleged to exist in the Church 
in Yellow Springs on his account. I was surprised and 
astonished at such reports, and did not know what to 
make of them. They were as new to me as to the peo- 
ple at Haverhill. Friends who had heard them came to 
me to inquire if they were true. I replied that I did not 
know what might have transpired at Yellow Springs 
since I left, for I had no correspondence from there re- 
specting such matters, but that there was no indication of 
that kind when I left. As to the influence of the College, 
although there, as every where else in this world of world- 
liness, the things of the soul, of eternity, and of God 
did not command the hearts of men as I could wish, yet 
I had no reason to believe, and did not believe, that its in- 
fluence or that of its President was at all such as was 
represented. And as to Mr. Fay, his preaching and his 
relations with the Church, I knew that just before I left 
the Church and congregation had expressed their satisfac- 
tion with him by voting for his settlement as permanent 
pastor, with only three dissenting votes; and those, as 
one of the persons said, not from any objection to Mr. Fay 
pastor, but to the manner in which the vote was taken. 

But I was told that Prof. Allen had recently come from 
Yellow Springs and said that these things were really 
so. I could not deny it, for his knowledge was later than 
mine: I could only say that it was inconsistent with 
what I knew when I left. 

I also met the story that many of the students had be- 
come infidels while at College. This, too, was new to me, 
but I did not know for certainty what facts might have 



mr. weston's statement. 141 

come to the knowledge of members of the Faculty, and I 
could only say that if such was the case it was unbeknown 
to me; and I could not believe it. 

I was also told that our people in Ohio were greatly in- 
censed at the spirit and management of the College, and 
that Elder Maple had come out, or was going to come 
out in the Gospel Herald, denouncing and disfellowship- 
ing the whole concern : ®f^±, tnat au article, or material 
for one, had been furnished him from Yellow Springs, 
and he was going to use it. This, I suppose, referred to 
the article in the Herald of August 13th, 1857, which we 
had not then seen. I did not learn of him who had fur- 
nished the said article or material, but I have since 
learned from Elder Maple, that the article itself, just as it 
was published, with the exception of a single sentence, 
was written by Prof. W. H. Doherty. 

This article makes especial complaint of the College 
for antagonism to "religious power " and " vital piety." 
And yet the writer of it, during the four years he was a 
member of the Faculty, teas not, to my knowledge, present 
at a College prayer meeting in one single instance ! This 
fact can be substantiated by all who attended those meet- 
ings. 

That Prof. Allen gave me this information is proof that 
he was acquainted beforehand with the article, its contents 
and its author; and yet he says [p. 79.] that after a cer- 
tain conversation with Mr. Harlan, he knew " nothing 
further of the intentions of the Committee until the fol- 
lowing editorial, by Eld. James Maple! [referring to the 
same article], appeared in the Gospel Herald of August 
13th." 

I found, also, on arriving at Haverhill, that matters 
had been " canvassed," and that plans were laid to furnish 



142 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

a place for me, more profitable pecuniarily, or more ac- 
cording to my preferences than to return to Antioch. 
One was, to make such pecuniary arrangements as would 
enable me, without embarassment, to prosecute my former 
intention of studying a while longer; another was, for me 
to take the Principalship of the Andover [N. H.] Insti- 
tute. The former proposition was the most grateful to my 
feelings that any could be; and were I not under obliga- 
tions to return to Antioch, I would have been glad to ac- 
cept it, and I so expressed myself. 

The meeting opened. The bond-signers were informed 
that by the assignment of Antioch College property they 
were released from any obligation to pay their subscrip- 
tions, and it was now an open question what should be 
done with them and with the money which had already 
been paid. It could be recalled ; it could be reserved to 
assist in the re-purchase of the Antioch property of the 
Assignee, if that should ever be done ; or it could be de- 
voted to the support of a denominational school in New 
England. This brought up the merits of Antioch Col- 
lege for discussion. The stories which I had heard be- 
fore were repeated. Mr. Allen was active, but evidently 
felt that he had done the most of his work by " canvass- 
ing " beforehand. The positive assertions respecting the 
irreligious and sceptical influence of the College, I did 
not know what to think of. They were contrary to any 
facts which had come to my knowledge, but I had been 
only a student and acquainted chiefly with my own class 
and I did not feel warranted in denying alone the asser- 
tions of one who had been a Professor, and who averred 
that facts and names could be given to substantiate them. 
Pending this discussion, Prof. Holmes and I by mutual 
suggestion left the house. Our first inquiry of each oth- 



MR. weston's statement. 143 

er was, what was the ground of these statements? On 
comparing what we each of us knew and believed, we 
concluded that these stories were at the least highly ex- 
aggerated ; that they misrepresented Mr. Mann and the 
College, and that it was proper for us to go into the meet- 
ing and say so. We returned with that intention, but 
the discussion on that subject had closed. We did, how- 
ever, take opportunities to express this our conviction to 
the men who were there. 

The result of this discussion was a resolution to re- 
commend the subscribers and donors to devote theirmoney 
to the Andover Institute. I was then requested to take 
the Principalship of that school, and to preach to it and 
to the church. I was assured that if I would accept that 
position a salary of one thousand dollars would be secured 
for me. This was four hundred dollars more than I had 
any assurance I should receive at Antioch, and five hun- 
dred more than I actually did receive, although my sal- 
ary was put upon the same footing as that of the other 
Professors. 

It was proposed, also, that if I preferred to prosecute 
my studies still further, I could be absent from the school 
a considerable portion of the year for that purpose. I 
felt a deep interest in the success of a good school in 
New England, such as the friends proposed to establish- 
The interests of our people evidently demanded it. But 
I felt myself conscientiously bound by my obligations to 
Antioch College, and could not feel myself free to enter 
into any other. 

My statement was sufficient for all but Mr. Allen. 
He was unwilling to have me leave the place without 
making some engagement which would prevent my re- 
turning to Antioch. He urged that inasmuch as the 



144 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Committee were under no obligation to me, except on 
condition that money was raised to open the school, so I 
was under no obligation to them, until I knew that con- 
dition to be fulfilled. He urged again, that I could tell 
them that I had an offer four hundred dollars better than 
any assurances I had had from them, and I could not be 
expected to remain at Antioch at so great a sacrifice. 
And besides, I might plead that when I accepted the pro- 
posal, the expectation that Prof. Holmes would be with 
me, was a strong consideration which influenced me to 
accept it, and now, as he was not going to return, that 
consideration was taken away, and I might feel myself 
released on that ground. 

His assertion, p. 154, that I accepted the place, " hav- 
ing good reason to believe that Prof. Holmes would have 
nothing to do with said school," is in direct contradiction 
to the fact which he had made use of to dissuade me 
from returning. Of course he must have known that as- 
setion to be false. But his memory is short where it is 
convenient to forget. 

All these were urged by him with the pertinacity of 
one who is bent on accomplishing an object, and will not 
give it up until the last hope fails. I explained, in turn, 
that I had given my pledge without naming any of those 
conditions; and I felt myself bound, as a Christian and a 
man of honor, to abide by it. Besides, the time for the 
opening of the term was at hand ; and if I should do as 
he desired, the Committee could not receive the notice in 
season to engage another man in my place. But he still 
urged, and said he did not see in all this, any reason 
why I should feel myself conscientiously bound to re- 
turn. At last, when I was about to leave, he followed 
me into the street, and expressed his extreme regret that 



MR. weston's statement. 145 

I did not yield to the offers which "were made, and said 
it would injure me very much in the opinion of my 
friends if I should return to Antioch ; they could not 
look upon me again as they did before. For this insin- 
uation I did not thank him. The suggestion was demean- 
ing both to myself, and my friends. As though I could 
be diverted from what I felt myself conscientiously bound 
to do, by the opinions of any who could think the less of 
me for doing it; and as though my friends were such that 
conscientious action would forfeit their esteem. But sub- 
sequent experience showed me that "my friends," in this 
case, meant only himself. He also said, during the 
meeting, that the managers at Antioch would not wish 
me to remain; that some man less denominational would 
be preferred. My reply was that I had no desire to re- 
main if I was not wanted; and, if on my return to Yel- 
low Springs, they were willing to release me from my en- 
gagement, I would very gladly accept it, and return to 
New England and study ; and at a proper time, I would 
take the place which the friends in New England desired, 
if it was thought best. With this understanding I left. 

Mr. Allen says in his book, that "my firmness is small," 
and intimates that I have pursued a "venal course." Of 
this, those who know me must be the judges. I claim no 
special virtues. But if I am such a person, Mr. Allen is 
not the man to say so; for venality and a lack of firmness 
are the very things which in this case would have served 
his turn. He appealed to them strongly, but he did not 
find me sufficiently lacking in firmness, vascillating, or 
venal to answer his end. Hence I am made the victim of 
his wrath. 

The meeting adjourned. Its resolutions were pub- 
ished, together with some commendatory articles, which 
13 



146 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Mr. Allen has been careful to preserve and copy into 
his book. But the donors did not respond to the sug- 
gestion that was made. They paid their money for An- 
tioch, and did not wish it diverted. The New England 
friends are determined to establish a Literary and Bibli- 
cal School, and are working for it with good prospect of 
success. But after the presence and immediate influ- 
ence of Mr. Allen was withdrawn, the facts in the case 
became so far known, that the very men who recom- 
mended giving the money to Andover, have paid it to- 
ward the recent redemption of Antioch j and they now 
rejoice with us that the work is done, to defeat which Mr. 
Allen has expended his energies. But to record such 
facts does not come within the province of his "History." 

Keturn to Ohio. — Interviev/ with Mr. Holmes. 

September 4th, I returned to Yellow Springs. At 
Xenia I met Bro. Holmes. He had come to Ohio before 
me, and had attended the session of the Miami Confer- 
ence. From him I learned of the state of feeling which 
existed, caused by the allegations made against Mr. Mann, 
Mr. Fay, and the management of the College. He sym- 
pathized with it, at that time, to some extent ; but 
intimated plainly that he had much more confidence in 
Mr. Mann than in Prof. Allen. In respect to the 
the charges made against Mr. Mann, that his influence 
fostered infidelity, Mr. H. said he had expressed himself, 
and was willing to be known as believing that Mr. Mann's 
influence did not encourage infidelity, but that, on the 
other hand, it was calculated to check it. And, further- 
more, said he, "I am willing to say that I do not know the 
man in the United States who, I think, will do so much to 
check the tendencies to scepticism in the minds of the young, 



mr. weston's statement. 147 

as Mr. Mann; although, in direct effort, for the conver- 
sion of men, there are those who, I think, would do more 
than he." 

At this time he told me the ground of his conviction 
that Mr. Allen used his influence against him at the time 
of his asking leave of absence. This I will refer to in 
another place. But the facts then stated by him, coin- 
ciding with some things which I knew myself, and with 
others which I had learned from Prof. C. S. Pennell, con- 
vinced me conclusively that Mrs. Holmes was correct 
when she early averred that Mr. Allen had acted such a 
part, and that I was incorrect when I disagreed with her 
in that opinion. 

I came to Yellow Springs determined to keep aloof 
from the controversy, and, if possible, to get released 
from my engagement, and return to New England and 
study. I expressed my desire strongly to Elder Fay. 
He objected, but said he would consult Mr. Harlan and 
Mr. Mann. He did so ; but their reply was, that the 
thing was not to be thought of. So I decided to remain. 
And though I have been subjected to contumely and mis- 
representation on account of it, as well as to hard work, 
1 have never for a moment regretted my decision. 

Gospel Herald Articles. 

Here I met the Gospel Herald, which I had not seen 
during my absence, and saw the vials of bitterness which 
were poured out in its columns. Statements were made, 
adverse to the character of the College, which I knew to 
be untrue. The editorial of August 13th, for which Mr. 
Doherty is responsible, contained such statements. So 
did another article, written by Jesse Jacobs. Other cor- 
respondents, believing these false statements, were also 



148 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

reiterating them, and speaking of "fallen Antioch." "Let 
it go." "Let it be buried." In the Herald of Sept. 17, 
was an article, signed "Pickaway," written, as I learn, 
by the publisher, Mr. John Geary, afterwards the pub- 
lisher of Mr. Allen's book. It began thus: 
"Editor of the Herald : 

In a late number of your very excellent paper, I read 
with astonishment and dismay that all members of the 
Christian denomination had been excluded from the Fac- 
ulty at Antioch College." 

Now this was widely, shockingly and damagingly 
false; whether the writer knew it or not. I do not accuse 
him. And, what was my duty? I had been here for 
four years. I knew the facts in all these cases. This was 
known to many in different parts of the country, and my 
statement would have some weight. Should I hold fast 
to my determined neutrality, so far as to let these slander- 
ous falsehoods go uncorrected; or should I candidly state 
the simple facts in the case? By the former course I 
should be, as it seemed to me, a tacit participant in the 
falsehoods. By the latter I should ally myself to no 
party, but merely give to the public the knowledge 
which they ought to possess. I chose the latter course. 
I could do no less. I wrote an article stating, in the 
most candid manner, and without reflections upon any 
one, the facts which contradicted three prominent incor- 
rect statements, viz; 1st. That there had been no conver- 
sions at Antioch, 2d. That none of those appointed on 
the New Faculty, had ever preached "repentance" in the 
College, and 3d. That "all members of the Christian de- 
nomination had been excluded from the Faculty." My 
answer to the last contains the following : 

"The Faculty for this year, as appointed by the Com- 



mr. weston's statement. 149 

mittee, consists of President Mann, Professors Holmes, 
Warriner, Cary, Craig, Weston, Mrs. Dean and Miss 
Crocker. It is true that Prof. Holmes did not accept his 
appointment, because he thought another field offered 
him better opportunities for usefulness ; but this is not 
to be charged to the Committee. Of the above eight 
persons, six are members of Christian churches. Three 
of them, (Holmes, Craig, and Weston,) are of families be- 
longing to the Christians, and they have themselves been 
members of Christian churches ever since they belonged 
to any church; some of them for more than twenty 
years. If they have been under censure, or their fidelity 
suspected, it has been unknown to them." 

Mr. Allen has given a garbled extract from this, im- 
puted to it a motive of his own invention, and then from 
his own garbling and invention, deduced a charge of 
" stupidity," " deception," or " equivocation." But I am 
willing to leave the article and its expressed motive to 
answer for themselves. 

But the article, innocent, truthful and well meant as it 
was, — brought down upon my head bolt after bolt of en- 
venomed wrath. On the day the paper was received in 
town, Mr. Doherty came to my house boiling over with 
rage, as I hope never to see another man, and accused me 
of " deserting my best friends," " giving them a stab in 
the dark," "virtually charging so good and godly a man 
as Eld. James Maple, with falsehood," etc., etc. I asked 
him what the article contained erroneous or false. He 
did not point out anything of the kind, but said, " We 
have been hoping to get rid of the clique which has pos- 
session of the College, and now you are taking sides with 
them, and against your best friends." I told him that 
the article did not take sides for or against anybody, but 



150 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

merely stated facts which he could not deny ; and if he 
would read it in a little cooler state of mind he would 
see it so. 

When I learned that he was the real author of the ed- 
itorials, which he had so far imposed upon Elder Maple 
as to lead him to adopt, I saw a reason for his extreme 
sensitiveness for Elder Maple's honor. Bro. Maple him- 
self had no such words to say. 

To the point about not hearing "repentance" preached, 
Elder Craig also made reply. In answer to both, Mr. 
Jacobs came out again, accusing me of injuring " Prof. 
Holmes' reputation and that of the denomination." This 
Mr. Allen quotes and endorses. That is, according to 
them, a man's reputation is injured by saying that he is 
moved by considerations of " better opportunities for use- 
fulness." I can well afford to stand condemned by such 
ethics as that. If such is the gospel which " Eld. Jacobs '' 
is accustomed to preach, he is certainly a fit candidate for 
the encomiums of I. W. Allen ! If these men knew 
Bro. Holmes as well as I do, they would know that he 
does not consider such principles injurious to the repu- 
tation of anybody. 

Mr. J. also put a series of questions, why I did not 
say certain things of Prof. Holmes? To which I an- 
swered in short, that " if I had said the things which he 
suggested, 1st, I should have told some things which I 
did not know to be true; 2nd, I should have told some 
things which I knew not to be true; and 3d, I should not 
have told the whole truth." This article was sent, its re- 
ceipt acknowledged, and its publication promised ; but 
" the gate was shut down " before it saw the light. 

Mr. Allen [p. 233], has taken pains to copy this prom- 
ise to publish, and to insinuate therefrom that Elder 



mr. weston's statement. 151 

Maple pursued a partizan course ; but the fact that it 
was not published, he studiously withholds ! Such is the 
impartiality of his "History." 

Mr. Allen returns to Yellow Springs. 
A few weeks after the term opened Mr. Allen returned 
to Yellow Springs. I resolved that, notwithstanding the 
differences between him and some members of the Fac- 
ulty, I would, on my own part, show him the same friend- 
liness as ever. I met him first in Antioch Hall, and 
asked him such questions as a friend would ask a friend 
under such circumstances. His answers were very short 
and monosyllabic. I appreciated his spirit, but did not 
change my resolution. At my earliest opportunity I 
called at his house. It was on an evening when there 
was to be a lecture. During our conversation he took 
occasion to make frequent remarks about the College and 
those now connected with it, such as no gentleman would 
make. The bell rang for lecture, and I started to leave. 
In the hall, just as I was leaving, he too attacked me 
about the afore-mentioned article. I asked him what there 
was in it false or objectionable. He said he did not know 
as it contained anything untrue, but he thought my 
friends would think very strange, and be very sorry to see 
me taking sides against them. I told him that I took no 
sides, but had only, in the most candid manner, made a 
correction of statements which he, as well as I, knew to 
be false. He acknowledged that those statements were 
not true, but thought that I should not have interfered. 
Thus he kept me, talking to me in a very overbearing 
manner, till long after the lecture bell had done ringing 
I told him at last, that it seemed to me that those who 
objected to my statements, which they acknowledged to 
be true, in correction of others which they acknowledged 



152 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

to be false, thereby confessed that they were engaged in 
a cause which depended on falsehood for its support; and 
the man who told the truth they counted as an enemy. 
I soon took my leave. 

From all this bearing of his I saw that my disposition 
to remain on friendly terms with him was not recipro- 
cated. He never called on me afterward, except on some 
business connected with his persecution of the College, 
and then at times and under circumstances which, con- 
sidering the sickness in my family, a thoughtful and un- 
selfish man would not have used for such a purpose. 

The Merits of Mr. Allen's Case. 

When I came to College at the opening of the term, 
September, 1857, 1 was ignorant of the true reasons which 
had influenced the Committee and the Faculty in the case 
of Mr. Allen. I was inclined to think they had acted 
without sufficient cause, and nothing occurred but the re- 
pulsive acts of himself and Mr. Doherty before described? 
to influence me to the contrary. Though I was a mem- 
ber of the Faculty, and, I believe, had the confidence of 
all, no one breathed a word to me respecting the causes 
which had led them to refuse to co-operate with him un- 
til the time of the meeting of the Committee. All ex- 
pressed themselves as desirous to do nothing which would 
throw a reproach upon his character, if it could possibly 
be avoided, and their acts were consistent with that feel- 
ing. 

But I wish now to state some of the evidence which 
afterward came to my knowledge, which completely satis- 
fied me that that action was just, and that they could not 
consult the interests of the cause we all love and do oth- 
erwise than they did. And, as many of these facts came 



MR. WESTON S STATEMENT. 153 

to my knowledge for the first time during the investiga- 
tions of the " self-constituted Committee," I propose to 
present what I may say in connection with facts pertain- 
ing to that investigation. 

Origin of the Committee. 

Mr. Allen employs several pages in an effort to im- 
peach the character of that Committee and the manner 
of getting them together. Of their character I need say 
nothing; they are known too widely and too well to call 
for it. But of what he says of the origin of the Com- 
mittee a few facts should be known. 

Everybody who read the Gospel Herald at that time 
remembers that the appointing Committee were repeatedly 
called on to give the reasons for their action, if they had 
any; otherwise they must rest under the imputation of 
having acted without reason. The first direct suggestion 
which came to my knowledge that there should be a 
Committee to investigate the matter, was from Eld. 0. J. 
Wait. He wrote to Mr. Fay that the appointing Com- 
mittee must show their reasons, if they had any, or rest 
under just censure; and proffered his services if they 
were needed. Besides, Eld. Wait says in the Gospel 
Herald, April 17, 1859, "It is proper to say, that a call 
was made upon Mr. Fay to give the facts, if he had them, 
to the public, or there would be a further abandoning of 
the College. I have the letters to prove this." 

In obedience to these suggestions, Mr. Fay says, he 
invited men in whom the public had the fullest confi- 
dence, to come to Yellow Springs. The men came, and 
constituted themselves into a Committee to investigate the 
charges publicly made against the appointing Committee. 
The-complaint was before the public: the Committee had 



154 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

heard it. Mr. Allen was invited to be present and say 
whatever else he had to say on the same side; but he did 
not appear. The Committee heard Mr. Fay's defence and 
gave their verdict to the world. 

In his effort to throw ridicule upon the affair Mr. 
Allen has not hesitated to descend to falsehood. He 
gives a pretended report of an interview between Mr. Fay 
and Elder Simonton on this matter, of which Elder S. 
says, " He puts words into my mouth and takes them 
out again, and sends them to the world, that I never said 
to him or any other many Again, " This, Mr. Fay never 
said to me, neither did I say it to Mr. Allen. The first I 
ever heard of such talk was in Mr. Allen's book." 

Mr. McWhinney also says that Mr. Allen's assertion 
that he promised to call on him at the Springs and had 
not done it, thereby falsifying his word, is itself a posi- 
tive falsehood ! as he can prove by several persons who 
were present at the time alleged. The fact was, Mr. 
McWhinney became disgusted with Mr. Allen's imperti- 
nence and pertinacity, and told him plainly that he had 
"no confidence in his moral honesty!" He had no dispo- 
sition to make him any such promise and did not do it. 

The following from Dr. H. C. Foster, shows that Mr. 
Allen has also misrepresented him : 

"In Mr. I. W. Allen's book, published last Fall, I see 
a mis-statement respecting myself which I wish to correct. 
The reasons which he there assigns [page 112] as pre- 
venting my going to Yellow Springs to meet with the 
1 self-constituted Committee,' are not the reasons which 
prevented me, and I never gave them to him as such. 
My only reason for not going was a professional engage- 
ment which forbade my going. 



mr. weston's statement. 155 

" Mr. Allen called on me a short time after the report 
of the Committee was published, and asked me what I 
thought of it. I told him I thought it a very judicious 
report, as it merely gave their opinion without reflecting 
personally upon any one. He said, it must be that 1 
was not acquainted with the facts in the case, and pro- 
ceeded to make a very long statement of what he consid- 
ered the injustice done him. I may have made some 
such remarks as he refers to, conditioned upon the truth 
of his statement then made, but nev^r otherwise. 

"I told him, in the same conversation, that I was a great 
friend and admirer of Mr. Mann, and thought him emi- 
nently fitted for his position. He said, so was he: and 
he considered him better qualified as an educator than 
any other man in the country, and he had no desire to 
see him removed from his place.* 

[Signed,] H. C. Foster. 

Yelloio Springs, June 22, 1859." 

This is sufficient to show the unfairness and untruth- 
fulness of that "introduction." 

A few days before the meeting of that Committee, after 
the day was appointed and Mr. Allen invited to meet 



* It may seem strange that, while Mr. Allen was pursuing Mr. 
Mann with such a malignity, he should express himself, as he did to 
Dr. Foster, so highly in Mr. Mann's praise. Such expressions are 
widely at variance with the entire estimate of Mr. Mann's character 
which his book represents him to have held for a long time. But 
there is abundant proof that he was accustomed to speak in this way 
whenever he thought the contrary would be unpopular. There are 
very many in the country who could offer similar testimony. A 
lady, whose name can be given if necessary, says: 

" In a conversation with Mr. I. W. Allen, which occurred at Yel- 
low Springs within a fortnight ending Aug. 7th, 1857, on the sub- 
ject of Antioch College, he said that, although he did not agree wiih 
Mr. Mann on many points, yet he regarded him as the best man for 
the Presidency of Antioch College.' " 



156 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

them, Mr. Fay informed me of the fact, told me who 
were to constitute the Committee, and asked me if I 
thought Allen would meet them. My reply was that 
that would depend on the confidence he had in the justice 
of his own cause. J| The Committee was certainly unex- 
ceptionable ; being all strongly denominational men, 
widely known, and known as widely for wisdom and 
candor ; and if he believed his cause to be just and de- 
fensible, he would certainly meet them. But if, on the 
other hand, he knew that he was guilty and in the wrong, 
he would not meet them, and would then cry out, that it 
was an exparte trial. The result showed that I judged 
rightly. 

Committee's Meeting. 

The Committee met. I was invited to meet with them, 
so that I might know (what no one had communicated 
to me before) the causes of the action of the appointing 
Committee. I attended a part of the time. In the fore- 
noon students were examined, class by class, as to their 
views of the competency of Prof. Doherty. All who had 
signed the petition requesting his removal re-affirmed 
their opinion, and those who did not sign it, — even those 
who had ever been and still were his warm personal 
friends — expressed their concurrence in the conviction 
that he was totally unfit for the Chair of Rhetoric. 

In the afternoon the testimony of the Faculty in the 
case of Mr. Allen, was examined, until the Committee 
said that they could ask for no more. 

In speaking of the report which they would make the 
Committee expressed their desire to make it as general as 
possible, so that the least possible injury might be done 
to Mr. Allen. This they did; and thereby brought on 



mr. weston's statement. 157 

themselves the severe censure of one -whom they wished 
to save. This censure created the necessity for the Sec- 
ond Report, in which the allegations were specifically 
stated. The review of this Second Report constitutes a 
large part of this u History." I wish to refer to the spe- 
cifications, and the evidence. 

Preliminary Questions. 

But let us first look at a few preliminary considera- 
tions. The real question which presents itself to every 
mind interested in this matter, as it did to those of the 
Committee, is: What was the reason which led the appoint- 
ing Committee to decline to re-appoint Ira W. Allen to the 
Chair of Mathematics? and, was that reason sufficient to 
justify their action? 

The whole aim of Mr. Allen's book is to show that the 
reason which influenced the Committee, as well as Mr. 
Mann and other members of the Faculty who refused to 
serve with him, was a hostility to " religious power" and 
"vital piety," to prayer meetings, and to religious and 
denominational interests generally. The question, then, 
is, Had Mr. Allen, by his " religious power" and u vital 
piety" rendered himself obnoxious to such a spirit? 

Mr. A. himself labors sufficiently on p. 19 to show that 
he was decidedly opposed to taking any part in the Sab- 
bath services in the Chapel. So his religion was not 
dangerous there! 

The members of the Christian Association and support- 
ers of the College prayer meeting, know and testify that, 
though he roomed in the same building in which the 
prayer meetings were held, he almost never attended 
them, nor manifested any special interest in them dur- 
ing the three years of his connection with the College, 



158 REJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

■with the exception of one term, when he held the office 
of President. This fact was so notorious that for this 
very reason the Association refused to re-elect him to the 
Presidency when his name was again suggested. [Mr. 
Doherty never to my knowledge attended one.] 

The members of the Church in town know and testify 
that, during all this time, they do not recollect of seeing 
him in prayer meeting, monthly Church meeting, or 
Sunday school; and that he took no interest in main- 
taining public worship in the Church until Prof. Doher- 
ty kindly tendered them his services. 

All these, too, are facts which came within my own 
knowledge; and I know them to be so. If Mr. Mann 
and the Committee really feared too much vital religion, 
Mr. Allen certainly was one of the most harmless men 
in that direction whom they could select. They could 
not object to him on that account. 

And what applies to his religion, applies also to his 
denominationality; for, if a denomination has interests 
diverse from genuine piety and Christian works, it should 
not be called a "Christian" denomination. And, more- 
over, if Mr. Allen, or any of his friends can point to a 
single act of his, specially promotive of denominational 
interests, which may not be naturally accounted for by his 
motives of ambition and self-promotion, I should be hap- 
py to have them do it. I have never known of such an 
act. So there was as little danger to be apprehended 
from his denominationality as from his piety. 

Another fact throws some light upon the real position 
of the College managers on this point. If there was any 
such opposition to " vital piety" as Messrs. Allen and 
Doherty allege, it would be manifest against this Chris- 
tian Association, and especially against its leading men. 



mr. weston's statement. 15U 

This Association was organized under the influence of 
Prof. Holmes, I think, during the first term of the Col- 
lege. It had been in existence, at the time of the Com- 
mittee's action, four years, or twelve terms. Its Presi- 
dents and leaders of the prayer meetings had been, — 
Thomas Holmes, five terms ; Austin Craig, two terms ; 
J. B. Weston, four terms; — all appointed upon the new 
Faculty; — I. W. Allen, one term — left off. This is suf- 
cient to show what an entire sham is his pretense that 
any such objections lay against him. 



Points Proven. 

Let us now look at the reasons presented to the inves- 
tigating Committee, and at the same time judge whether 
Mr. Allen did not exhibit more policy than sense of jus- 
tice, by staying away, and telling what he might have 
done if his side had been heard. The Committee, while 
abundantly competent to judge of the testimony, were 
also competent to judge if it was such as should not be 
received till another tale was told. 

The Committee say, "It was proven to us : 

"1st. That Mr. Allen, though very friendly to Mr. 
Mann's face, and often visiting him and sharing his hos- 
pitalities, and the pleasure of his social parties, had for a 
long time secretly used his utmost influence to create a 
prejudice against Mr. Mann, and that, too, where such 
prejudice would prove most fatal to Mann's usefulness as 
President of the College." 

Letters and testimony were presented which proved to 
a certainty, that Mr. Allen did, in 1855, write many let- 
ters to Mr. Fay, making most serious charges against 
Mr. Mann and his administration ; that when Mr. Fay 



160 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

proposed to make complaint to Mr. Mann, and to have 
the alleged abuses corrected, Mr. Allen refused to have 
his name used, and suddenly called home his letters. 
And all this time he was visiting Mr. Mann with the ap- 
pearance of friendship; meeting him with his usual 
smirky smile and studied suavity. The evidence of this 
is in Mr. Fay's possession, and the public can know and 
judge for themselves. 

Mr. Allen does not meet this at all in his book, but 
attempts to divert the mind of his readers by abusing 
the Committee and other persons. 

The Committee say, — 

" 2nd. That when Mr. Allen had brought an accusa- 
tion against one of the subordinate teachers, and failed to 
sustain it, he then positively falsified the record to screen 
himself. This was when Mr. Allen was acting as Secre- 
tary of the Faculty." 

The record itself in which the entry was made was 
present and the Committee saw for themselves. It can 
be seen by any who wish. The evidence in this case 
was not exparte ; it was in the hand writing of Mr. Allen 
himself. All his personal abuse can not invalidate it. 

His Denial of His Vote. 

The Committee say again, — 

" 3d. It was proved to us that in the Faculty meet- 
ings he would cast his vote in a given way, and then go 
to the students, and preparingly to keeping on friendly 
terms with them, would insinuate that he voted different- 
ly; and in some instances positively denying his vote." 

This, so far as regards the character of a man as a 
member of a College Faculty, is one of the most serious 
charges which could possibly be made. If a man is per- 



mr. weston's statement. 161 

fidiously false, and intriguingly hostile to his colleagues 
to the extent which this indicates, there is not a man 
living, of common sense and competent judgment, who 
would say that he should be retained in his place for an- 
other day. 

Mr. Allen says this " accusation is untrue," " absurd 
and silly," " too preposterous for men of common sense 
to swallow," and challenges the world to prove it "other 
than false." All this, perhaps, might well be said of his 
conduct; but, how is it with the accusation? The case 
is this : 

A few weeks before the close of the year, when Mr. 
Allen finished his Professorial career, the " Alethezetean 
Society" — a literary society composed exclusively of la- 
dies — asked permission of the Faculty to hold a public 
Anniversary and Exhibition. The Faculty refused to 
grant the request. Prof. Doherty was specially strenu- 
ous in his objection to it, and supported his position by 
protracted argument. When the question on granting 
the petition was put, Mr. Allen voted in the negative, with 
his friend, Mr. Doherty. That he voted thus is proved 
by all the then members of the Faculty. Mr. Allen him- 
self, does not deny, but assumes and admits it, and says 
that he never told any person whomsoever that he voted 
differently. 

At this refusal, the members of the Society were greatly 
incensed and indignant, and other ladies of the school 
and very many of the gentlemen sympathized with them. 
It was a favorable opportunity for Mr. Allen, by misrep- 
resenting the case, to seize upon this excited state of 
feeling and turn the force of it against Mr. Mann, and 
make capital of it for himself. And this he actually did. 
The testimony before the Committee was that of Dr. 
14 



162 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Warriner, who testified to having received information of 
students, that Mr. Allen had said that he voted in favor 
of granting the petition. Mr. Allen says "they only 
supposed that I voted in the affirmative," "they inferred 
so," and denies having told any person that he voted 
otherwise than he did. 

For a sample of his veracity I would call attention to 
the following testimony, from highly intelligent and un- 
impeachable persons, — Mr, Edward Rice, the real effi- 
cient Building Agent, of Antioch College, his wife and 
daughter. 

" In the Summer of 1857, Prof. I. W. Allen called 
at the Machine Shop where I was at work, and conversa- 
tion between him and myself turned on the action of 
the Faculty in the case of the Alethezetean Society. I 
expressed myself in favor of the ladies' having an oppor- 
tunity for a public Exhibition. Mr. Allen said that he 
was in favor of the same and always had been ; that he 
had done all he could in the Faculty for them to have 
the privilege, and had voted in favor of it every time. 
[Signed,] " Edward Rice. 

" Yellow Springs, 0., June 20th, 1859." 

" In the Summer of 1857, soon after it was known 
that Prof. I. W. Allen was not to be re- appointed to his 
place in the Faculty of the College, he was at our house 
and we inquired of him what was the cause of the objec- 
tion to him. He said that it was because he did not 
agree with the members of the Faculty in everything, 
and referred particularly to what had been done in the 
case of the Alethezetean Society. He said that he had 
used all his influence in the Faculty to have them grant- 
ed permission to have their public meeting, and had vo- 



MR. weston's statement. 163 

ted for it every time. He said that he and one other, 
were all that favored it, and that he was the only one 
who had consistently advocated their interests through- 
out. This, he said, he told us in confidence, and we 
never should have named it, if we had not heard of his 
telling the same to various other persons, and if he had 
not denied ever having said it. 

[Signed,] Mrs. Elvira Rice, 

Rebecca S. Kice. 

Yellow Springs, #., June 20th, 1859." 

If Mr. Allen desires more proof to be given that he 
has told persons he "voted differently from what he did," 
he can have it. 

But besides his positive and direct false statements, 
his insinuations to the same effect were numerous and 
decided, as Mr. Allen Hill and many other students can 
testify. In fact, it is well known by all of us who were 
conversant with the circumstances, that the impression 
was general, in the school and in the town, that Mr. 
Allen had voted in favor of the ladies having their Exhi- 
bition, and that impression was based on what Mr. Allen 
himself had said. There was a general surprise when, 
after the investigation of this Committee, it came out 
that he voted against it. 

Mr. Allen says he is not "responsible for the supposi- 
tions and inferences of people." But he is responsible 
for his positive assertions ; and he is responsible for the 
data which he gives, howsoever he givss them, from which 
inferences are necessarily and legitimately drawn. 

Look now at the perfidy of the whole transaction. 

He votes in Faculty-meeting for a certain measure, which 

he afterwards finds to be received by many with disfavor. 

By a mutual understanding, the members of that Faculty 

f 



164 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

are not to relate in public, and comment upon each oth- 
er's votes. He trusts that, by the fidelity of his colleagues 
to their trusts, the true nature of his own vote will not 
be exposed. Taking advantage of their fidelity, he de- 
nies his own vote, declares that he voted differently, 
seeks to turn the tide of bitter dissatisfaction against his 
colleagues, and thinks to reap from it a harvest of honor 
for himself. When exposed, he denies his denial and 
prints it in a book ! ! Did ever depravity run deeper 
than this ? 

With these things recently enacted and fresh in their 
minds, what Faculty, fit to be a Faculty, would consent 
to have such a man for a colleague? and what Committee, 
fit to be a Committee, would appoint him in the face of 
such facts, and over the head of such objections ? If 
this were his lone and single sin, is it not sufficient to 
condemn him to banishment from such a position, to say 
the least? How much more, then, when it is but one of 
a catalogue ! 

Mr. Allen's Theory and Practice of Falsehood. 

The Committee say further : 

" 4th. It was proven to us that Mr. Allen did tell sev- 
eral positive falsehoods to Mr. Fessenden concerning 
Mr. Mann ; and when Mr. Fessenden, as his only means 
of self-defense, told Mr. Mann what Mr. Allen had told, 
he was severely censured by Mr. Allen. Mr. Allen said 
to Mr. Fessenden, 'you ought to have denied to Mr. 
Mann you ever heard me say anything about it, for it 
was not designed for other men's ear.' Mr. Fessenden 
inquired : ' Do I understand you, Mr. Allen, to say that 
I should have denied the facts ?' Mr. Allen replied, 'It 



mr. weston's statement. 165 

is morally right for you to say to Mr. Mann that you did 
not know, and that I never told you.' This enormous 
charge was sustained by the testimony of Professors 
Fessenden and J. B. Weston." 

In the investigation before this Committee, I was not 
a witness on any point ; but when the statement of Prof. 
Fesseiiden was made, some parts of which related to facts 
with which I was acquainted, especially that relating to 
the conversation above referred to, the Committee asked 
me if his statement accorded with my recollection of 
the facts. I told them that it did. 

Of the part which Mr. Allen acted to alienate Prof- 
Fessenden from Mr. Mann, and attach him to his own 
interests, Prof. F. himself can testify. 

The first of this matter which came to my knowledge, 
Mr. Fessenden came to me in the College Hall, and said 
that he wanted some advice. He said that Prof. Allen 
had for a long time, been saying things to him deroga- 
tory to Mr. Mann, to prejudice his mind against him, 
and to make him believe that Mr. Mann was secretly his 
enemy. Mr. Allen had told him these things, under the 
charge of secresy, and he had. never lisped them to 
any one. But in some way Mr. Mann must have got 
hold of it; for in a recent conversation, he [Mr. Mann] 
had put to him the direct question, whether Mr. Allen 
had been endeavoring to prejudice his mind against him, 
and it was so put that he could not give a truthful an- 
swer without acknowledging that he had. He said he 
presumed that Mr. Mann would go to Mr. Allen about it; 
and he asked what was best to do ? My advice was to go 
to Mr. Allen directly, and tell him the fact. This ac- 
corded with Mr. Fessenden's previous convictions ; but 
he said he was unwilling to see Mr. Allen alone, and 



166 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

asked me as a mutual friend to go with him as a wit- 
ness to the conversation. I did so j when the conver- 
sation took place, from the gist of which the above re- 
port is made. 

Mr. Allen, in his book, denies the tenor of this con- 
versation, gives his own version of it, and then turns off, 
as usual, to personal abuse. 

Such a conversation as Mr. Allen reports never took 
place! It is the most of it sheer fabrication. Mr. Fes- 
senden told Mr. Allen, as he had told me, that Mr. Mann, 
in a recent conversation, had put a direct question to him 
as to whether he [Allen] had said anything to him cal- 
culated to prejudice his mind against Mr. Mann, and make 
him believe that Mr. Mann was unfriendly to him ; that 
the question was so put that he could not conscientious- 
ly equivocate or deny; and so he had told him plainly 
that he had. He asked Mr. Allen if he thought he could 
be justified, under the circumstances, in answering other- 
wise than he did. Mr. Allen replied, that he would have 
been justified in saying, No! That what he had said to Mr, 
F. was said in confidence, and designed for no other per- 
son's ears; that it was rvone of Mr. Mann's business, and 
it would not have been a falsehood for him to deny it; for, 
so far as Mr. Mann had any business with it, it was, No ! 
He then turned to me and asked if I did not think so? 
I disagreed to his ethics. He then attempted to justify 
his opinion, by quoting the practice of lawyers and poli- 
ticians who, as he said, made a practice of denying what 
was told to them in confidence, believing it to be 
right; and he thought Mr. Mann would have done the 
same. 

His " conversation about politicians" was subordinate, 



mr. weston's statement. 167 

and brought in afterward for self-justification in the 
strange rule of morals which he had avowed. 

That Mr. Fessenden was "extremely unhappy," "could 
not sleep," felt wretched, hoped for pardon, &c, are all 
equally fabrications. 

The avowal of such a theory respecting what to me 
seemed positive falsehood, made a deep impression on my 
mind, and very much weakened my confidence in Mr. 
Allen's moral integrity: but I never mentioned it to any 
one, not even to Mr. Fessenden, till in the fall of 1857, 
Mr. F. asked me if I remembered the conversation. We 
found at once, on naming it, that our recollections of it 
perfectly agreed. 

I have read the above statement to Mr. Fessenden, and 
he affirms that it is a true and correct statement of the 
facts. 

Mr. Allen's recent false and tortuous course shows the 
ruinous tendency of his loose code of morals. 

His Course toward Prof. Holmes. 

Again, the Committee say — 

"5th. It was proved to us that Mr. Allen himself in- 
stigated the removal of Prof. Holmes, and afterwards 
tried to convince Holmes, and others, that it was an in- 
salt to him and a great indignity to the Christian 
Church." 

About the last part of this specification, there is no 
question. Mr. Allen's repeated references to this case, 
and the spirit of them, show plainly enough that so much 
is true. The only question is in regard to the statement 
that "Mr. Allen himself instigated the removal of Mr. 
Holmes." 



168 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

I suppose the Committee were careless in the use of a 
word, for Mr. Holmes was never "removed," and there is 
no reason to believe that it was ever designed that he 
should be, unless it was so designed by Mr. Allen. The 
real circumstances were these: Some difficulty and dis- 
satisfaction were excited against Prof. Holmes, which 
culminated at the time of a meeting of the Trustees in 
March, 1855, and resulted in his asking leave of absence 
to go to Europe to prosecute studies which pertained to 
theduties of his [Greek] Chair. Whether this leave of ab- 
sence was as far as the intention of Mr. Allen's instiga- 
tions reached, or whether he really "instigated" his "re- 
moval" though he failed to accomplish it, the evidence 
in the case must show. 

Upon this point there is abundant testimony in the 
hands of Mr. Mann, which he will give to the public, 
and to that I would refer for a fuller detail of facts bear- 
on some parts of this question. 

But I wish to present a few facts which have come to my 
own knowledge, to show the reason of my concurrence 
with the conclusion of the Committee on this point. 

1. It is a well known fact that Mr. Allen, when he 
was in Europe, did not devote his time to the study of the 
Mathematics but of Greek. He did this with the expec- 
tation of ultimately occupying the Chair of Greek in 
the Faculty. 

2. After his return he was accustomed to speak of his 
preference for Greek over the Mathematics. 

He refers to this in a recent newspaper article, in 
which he speaks of a chair for which he was better pre- 
pared than for the one he occupied. 

3. He was accustomed to speak disparagingly of Prof. 



MR. weston's statement. 169 

Holmes' attainments in Greek, as well as of his standing 
with the students. 

I heard him, at the time of the Trustees' meeting, in 
an interview with Mr. Fay and A. M. Merrifield, speak 
very decidedly of Prof. Holmes' want of qualifications. 
In proof of what he said, he spoke of a certain paper, 
containing a Greek exercise which Mr. H. had written, 
and which had fallen into the hands of Mr. Burlingame, 
in which he said there were many errors; he told the 
number. 

He spoke also of other things which he considered dis- 
qualifications. He expressed himself very decidedly as 
considering the prejudice against Mr. Holmes well found- 
ed, and as deeming it impossible for him to sustain him- 
self in his Chair. Mr. Merrifield agreed with him in 
opinion, and very learnedly observed that he thought 
Holmes " talked too much" for a successful Professor. 
They seemed quite astonished when I disagreed with 
them in opinion ; but I had then just finished the Greek 
of our course under Prof. Holmes, and my opinion was 
of small weight against a man who had studied that lan- 
guage in the German Universities. 

At that time I supposed that Mr. Allen was merely 
expressing his opinion among friends, and that he did 
not express the same elsewhere. But when afterwards I 
heard of the same Greek-exercise story, as told by him 
in various quarters, I saw that he had made diligent use 
of it. 

He urged the same objection to Mr. Fay at another 
time, and when Mr. Fay asked him what could be done 
he answered, "Let Holmes take the Mathematics, and I 
can take the Greek. I am much better prepared in that 
than in Mathematics!" He has recently said in the 
15 



170 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

newspapers that some of the Trustees proposed that he 
take another Chair for which he was much better fitted 
than for the one he " was administering." He probably 
refers to this conversation, in which the proposition came 
not from a Trustee but from himself. I do not believe 
the Trustee can be found who will confess to making 
him such a proposition, unless it be his co-plotter, Mr. 
A. M. Merrifield. But this is far from being the only- 
case in which he has put into the mouths of others words 
spoken by himself. 

The Greek-exercise story was also told to Prof. C. S. 
Pennell, to convince him, (what Prof. Pennell strictly 
denied,) that Mr. Holmes was incompetent to this posi- 
tion. He urged the opinion to Prof. Pennell that the 
real and natural disqualifications of Prof. Holmes were 
such that no amount of study could ever fit him for Profes- 
sor of Greek. This I should consider very much like 
instigating a " removal." The same objections were 
urged also to other members of the Faculty. 

I have a letter from Prof. Pennell, (between whom 
and Prof. Holmes, by the way, a friendship like that of 
brothers always existed,) stating the facts in this case ; 
but as Mr. Mann has another from him which he will 
probably give to the public I will refer the reader to that. 

Here I find Mr. Allen presenting these objections to 
myself — a student — to Mr. Merrifield and Mr. Fay, 
Trustees, in my presence; to all the members of the Fac- 
ulty, and to how many more persons of the two former 
classes I do not know. 

This Greek exercise, which Mr. Burlinganie obtained 
and examined, and which, through Mr. B., afforded Mr. 
Allen the data which he used so widely against Mr. 



mr. weston's statement. 171 

Holmes, was, as I learn from Bro. Holmes himself, an 
exercise which he prepared in haste, in the early part of 
his stay in Yellow Springs. He never looked it overjto 
correct it and never used it. It was not destroyed, but 
by some means was slipped between the leaves of a book. 
This book was borrowed by Mr. Burlingame, (who now 
stands forth as champion No. 2, to proclaim the abuses 
of Bro. Holmes,) the paper found and examined, — the 
book returned, and borrowed again, probably for a re- 
examination of the paper — the data furnished to Mr. 
Allen, who claims to be champion No. 1, — the thing 
kept secret from Mr. Holmes — and the data thus obtain- 
ed, backed up by both their names, used with Faculty, 
Trustees and students, to the damage of Mr. Holmes. 

After Mr. Holmes returned from Europe, learning the 
part which Mr. Allen played against him, he went to his 
library, took the book which Mr. B. had borrowed, found 
the exercise referred to, and recalled the circumstances 
above stated. 



Worse Yet. 

But it was not literary and social qualifications alone 
which Mr. Allen attacked ; nor before Faculty, Trustees 
and students alone that his assaults were made. The 
domestic relations were not too sacred for the breath of 
his slander, nor the table of a public boarding house too 
public for its proclamation. Bead the following testimo- 
nial from Dr. and Mrs. Cheney, and compare it with the 
loud profession of sympathy for Mr. and Mrs. Holmes 
with which his book abounds, and answer if you ever 
knew a case of more unmitigated depravity and deceit. 



172 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Testimonial of Dr. and Mrs. Cheney. 

" During the Spring and Summer of 1855, Prof. I. W. 
Allen boarded with us at the Water-Cure in Yellow 
Springs. After the difficulties arose at the time of Prof. 
Holmes' obtaining leave of absence, we inquired of Mr. 
Allen what was the objection to Prof. Holmes; whether 
he was incompetent to his place, or what was the matter. 
Mr. Allen seemed to waive the question of his compe- 
tency, but said that the fact was he could not be himself. 
1 Why,' asked Mrs. Cheney, ' what is there to prevent 
him?' ' It is his wife,' Mr. Allen answered, ' she is a 
real virago and rules him with a rod of iron, so that he 
cannot be himself. If I should wake her up,' said he, 'I 
should expect to have my head snapped off!' 

" He was accustomed to speak in this way of Mrs. 
Holmes. Of Prof. Holmes he did not say anything di- 
rectly disparaging, except as regarded the influence of 
his wife over him, which he held up in the manner des- 
cribed : neither did he ever speak anything in his praise. 
Prof. C. S. Pennell, on the other hand, who also boarded 
at the Water-Cure a part of the time, was accustomed to 
speak in high praise of Prof. Holmes, frequently and 
warmly. 

" This conversation was especially impressed upon our 
memories from the fact that, a little after this, Mr. Allen 
appeared suddenly to change, and to pretend to great 
friendship for Mrs. Holmes, and to speak of her and Mr. 
Holmes as being greatly abused. This sudden and un- 
accountable change led us to inquire of one of the teach- 
ers what could bo the cause of it. We were answered 
that it was " another move in Mr. Allen's game. 
[Signed,] A. Cheney, 

Margaret J. Cheney 

" Yellow Springs, June 20th, 1859." 



MR. weston's statement. 173 

These facts, ray friends, have come to ray knowledge. 
Elder Holmes is, and has been for years, my warm per- 
sonal friend and Christian brother. I feel keenly every 
thrust which I know to be made at him, by ivhomsoever it 
may be made. And while I know these facts, and see the, 
to me, transparent hypocrisy and hollow-heartedness of 
the sympathy professed so loudly by Messrs. Allen and 
Burlingame, and know, too, that the whole object of it is 
to gain an advantage to themselves by having some of 
the lustre of the bright and noble character of Mr. 
Holmes reflected upon the darkness of their own ; I con- 
fess myself disgusted, and shocked and wounded. 

And Bro. Holmes himself no more thanks Mr. Allen 
for his voluntary sympathy, and appreciates no more 
highly his pretended friendship than do I. I have had 
frequent letters from him during all this time of Mr. Al- 
len's war, and especially since it was advertised that he 
was going to publish a book. In these letters he freely 
expresses his condemnation of Mr. Allen's course, 
his warm sympathy for Antioch College and the interests 
of the Christian denomination. In Sept., 1858, he wrote 
me, asking, " Is there any such opinion at Yellow Springs 
as that I am exerting an influence against Antioch, or 
that I am co-operating with Allen ? " and goes on to 
speak of Allen's efforts to get letters from him to publish, 
and his absolute refusal to be, in any way, drawn into 
any such a controversy. In so far, then, as Mr. Allen 
has drawn him in it has been without his consent and 
against his will. And it is that fact which makes it ne- 
cessary to bring his name in here. 

Bro. Holmes expresses himself frequently in a similar 
spirit; but the gist of the whole is given in a letter of 
Feb. 8th, 1859, in which he declares his conviction, in so 



174 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

many words, that Mr. Allen has been the main-spring of 
the trouble from the time of the first movement against 
him, and also expresses that his sympathies are fully with 
Antioch. 

At the end of all this accumulation of proof it may be 
asked, what motive could Mr. Allen have in desiring the 
absence or removal of Mr. Holmes from the Chair of 
Greek? The answer to this is plainly seen in the fact 
that he studied Greek, and not Mathematics, when in 
Europe, and in his proposition to Mr. Fay to take the 
Greek himself. 

But it may be again enquired, if such was his desire, 
why did he not continue to urge it after Mr. Holmes had 
left? The reason for that can be well understood by 
those who know how strenuously he labored to have his 
alter ego, Mr. Burlingame, appointed as Mr. Holmes' sub- 
stitute. To have had his faithful friend and co-actor 
with him in the Faculty would have promoted his ulti- 
mate end much better than a change in his own position, 
to the exclusion of Mr. Burlingame. 

Finally, the Committee say, — 

" 6th. It was proven to us from his own letters, that 
Mr. Allen had circulated false reports touching the gen- 
eral administration of the College." 

This, Mr. Allen does not seek to controvert, but to pal- 
liate. He says [p. 162], — 

" It is possible that in writing to intimate friends I 
may have mentioned some of the current statements in 
Yellow Springs, touching College transactions, not alto- 
gether free from error; yet even of this I am by no means 
certain." If he had always been as cautious about con- 
tradicting his own letters it would have been wiser in 
him. 



mr. weston's statement. 175 

Here, my friends, are some of the points which stand 
proved against Mr. Allen. Through seventy-two pages 
of " Review," and pretended defense, he has not in the 
least invalidated or excused one of them, except what 
rests upon his own independent and unsupported denial. 
And even these denials, with the proofs now brought 
against them, weaken his cause rather than strengthen it 
In all these pages he has substituted personal abuse and 
slander for arguments and proofs. 

I now leave it with you to say whether Mr. Allen is 
not plainly proven guilty of the things alleged, and 
whether they are not super-abundantly sufficient to jus- 
tify his omission from the Faculty of Antioch College. 
I believe they are. 

The Motive. 

But it will be asked what could have been the motive 
for all this? And this is not an unimportant question. 
This question Mr. Allen makes the strength of his argu- 
ment on several points. 

It is not necessary to prove that the motive is sufficient 
to justify the act. Sin never has such a motive. It is 
always short-sighted and foolish. 

That Mr. Allen's motive was not religious or denomi- 
national zeal, may be seen from the nature of the acts 
(for the cause of God is never promoted by wrong), as 
well as what has been said in a prior part of this inquiry. 

That it was not any love to the Christian denomination 
which moved him to those acts, nor to his violent and 
unscrupulous warfare upon the College and its friends 
which have employed him for the last two years, is also 
seen by his own declaration to Elder John Ellis, that if 
he did not succeed in what he was now attempting, he 
should join the Presbyterians I 



176 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

It has been said that Mr. Allen denies having said 
this. Very likely he does. But when a question of 
veracity lies between I. W. Allen, and Elder John Ellis, 
who will hesitate to decide with whom the truth lies? 

The facts, as I learn them from Bro. Ellis, are these. 
When Mr. Allen was left off from the new Faculty, Bro. 
Ellis, to a considerable extent, sympathized with him. 
In an interview with Mr. A., after he saw the course he 
wa3 taking, Bro. Ellis advised him to be less violent, and 
not to try to raise difficulties out of which no good could 
grow. He told him that it would be ruinous to himself; 
for though he might never again have a post in Antioch 
College, there would be other denominational schools 
where he would be needed, and might be employed if he 
did not keep up this war. Mr. Allen expressed a disre- 
gard for his advice, and said he did not care about 
denominational schools, for, he said " if I do not succeed 
in this, (his present attempts,) I shall join the Preshy- 
tsrians." 

If neither of the above was his motive, then what 
was it? 

The key to it all lies in his own remark, (page 113,) 
"A $1,000 per year, and a Professorship for life are 
worth struggling for." 

If the above is true, according to his estimate, then 
$2,000 per year and a Presidentship for life, would be 
u worth struggling for" twice as hard. 

Did Mr. Allen aspire to be President of Antioch Col- 
lege? He denies it, as may be expected. He may never 
have expressed it in words, except to confidential friends. 
Then what reason is there for such an inference ? 

That he desired the removal of Mr. Mann, I infer 
from his approving intimation to me of what " Bro. Mer- 



mr. weston's statement. 177 

rifield" said. That he desired to be President himself, I 
submit, may be legitimately inferred: 

1. From the declarations of Mr. Merrifield, his bosom 
friend and co-plotter, to Mr. and Mrs. Fessenden, to- 
gether with other reasons given by Mr. F. himself. 

2. From the declaration of his other steadfast and 
electioneering friend, Mr. John A. Layton, as set forth 
in the following testimonial from Dr. H. C. Foster: 

"On the day of the election of Trustees at Antioch 
College, in 1857, I met Mr. John A. Layton at the rail- 
road station in Enon. I was going to Springfield. Mr. 
Layton asked me, as I was a scholarship-holder, if I was 
not going to the Springs to the election of Trustees ? I 
told him I was not. He said I ought to go, for it was a 
very important election. I asked him how so ? He said 
to-day will decide the fate of Antioch, whether it is to 
sink or swim. I asked how that was? He said that this 
election would decide whether Mr. Mann was to remain 
the President ; if so, it would go down ; but if some 
other man could be elected, it might be saved. I asked 
him if they had another man better than he, and if so, 
who it was ? He said there was another man, and just 
the man for the place; and that was Prof. Allen. I told 
him if I had known that any such movement as that was 
on foot, I should have gone over, for I was a great friend 
to Mr. Mann, and always was, and believed him the best 
man to fill that place of any man in America. This was 
entirely another interview, than that referred to in my 
letter to Mr. Allen. 

[Signed,] H. C. Foster." 

"Yellow Springs, June 21, 1859." 

3. From a declaration made by his brother, Mr. A. L. 
Allen. Mr. I. W. Allen has written a long article to ex- 



178 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

plain away a report arising from this fact ; but it does 
not "stay explained." I am informed by the " Mr. B." 
named in that article, that in the letter, extracts of which 
are therein given, he informed Mr. Allen that Mr. 0. H. 
Davis, formerly a student, and a man of unquestionable 
veracity, told him (" Mr. B.") "that A. L.Allen, the 
Fall or Summer previous, while they (Allen and Davis) 
were engaged in an agency in the State of Michigan, 
had told him (Davis) that his brother, the Prof., was 
making an effort for the Presidency of Antioch College, 
and that he was not only making the effort, but that he 
had a fair prospect of success." Mr. Davis told him "that 
Allen used this language to him at Ann Arbor." To 
this part of the letter, no allusion is made. The reason 
is obvious. Mr. Davis is at present traveling in the 
South, and his address is not known, or the fact in this 
case would be given over his own name. But this is 
sufficient to convince those who know the men, that the 
statement is true. 

From all these considerations, the motive for the 
strange conduct of Mr. I. W. Allen, seems to me suffi- 
ciently plain. 

From the facts and data herein before given, my 
friends and the public can judge whether my conclusions 
are hastily formed and groundless, or whether I am jus- 
tified in them, and in the course I have taken. 

Personalities. 

There are few things of a more personal nature for 
which I care less, but of which my friends may wish to 
know the truth. These I shall soon dispatch. 

Mr. Allen says (p. 132,) " I was afterwards informed 



mr. weston's statement. 179 

that Eli Fay, who was living a mile or more from Col- 
lege, was in reserve that morning in the Ladies' Hall ; 
but he did not show his face in the College Chapel ; for 
Mr. Weston slipped out during Mr. Mann's speech." 

Mr. Fay was on that morning at his home, "a mile or 
more from College," sick in bed, as can be proved. He 
had had no hint whatever of what was going on. The 
whole assertion is fabrication and not 'history.' 

On p. 154 he says, "I [Allen] gave him [Weston] 
my confidence." 

Not so far, it seems, as he did to others ; for he never 
revealed to me his plans which he revealed to other per- 
sons. Perhaps it was because I never gave him mine, to 
any unsafe extent. I received a caution from Bro. 
Holmes in respect to that, before he left for Europe, and 
I remembered it. 

Again he says of me, (p. 154) — " Since that time [my 
appointment] he has advocated what he before denounced." 

This, or its equivalent, is expressed several times in the 
book ; either by himself or those who knew nothing of 
the matter, except what they learned from him. He 
said as much to me once in private conversation ; and 1 
challenged him to produce a word or line that I had ever 
said or written, before my connection with the College 
Faculty, inconsistent with anything I had said, written 
or done since that time, and he could not do it; he has not 
done it to this day; he can not do it. There is not a truth- 
ful person living who will allege such a thing. What I 
disapproved before, I disapprove now ; what I advocated 
before, I advocate now. But there is nothing, either in 
my approvals or disapprovals, inconsistent with the course 
which I have since taken. My opinion of Mr. Allen, I 
am obliged to make an exception. 



180 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

In regard to the assertions of Mrs. Salisbury, [p. 155,] 
I will say as I said in a private letter to her and her 
husband: 

"I did disapprove the manner in which Mrs. Holmes 
was disposed of; and I do now. I have never disguised 
it; and nobody knows it better than those whom I 
deemed in the fault. But that I ever said, " that if I 
were graduated, I would expose to the public the iniquit- 
ous conduct of Mr. Mann toward the Christian teachers 
here," is an entire mistake. I know Mrs. S. used frequent- 
ly to say that somebody ought to, and asked me why I 
did not ; and I may have said sometime (though I do 
not remember even that) that my position would forbid 
it ; but if I did, it was not that I ever designed to do 
such a thing, or thought it called for ; but to put off the 
importunities of an excited woman. Whatever she has 
attributed to me more than this, was begotten in the 
chamber of her own imagination. She may think she 
told the truth, but she is mistaken." 

Twice in his book [pp. 156 and 237] Mr. Allen takes 
pains to publish an allusion to me by Mr. A. M. Merri- 
field, as follows: 

"The single exception alluded to above, is reported to 
have said that his religious views have undergone a 
change since he has been here." 

This was originally written for publication in the Her- 
ald of Gospel Liberty, (a paper with which I have been 
connected, as business partner or writer, for fourteen 
or fifteen years,) and was designed to damage me among 
my friends in New England. Fortunately for me, the 
article was sent where I was too well known for the writer's 
purpose. Its publication was refused, and it was return- 
edto the writer "with reasons." It remains for I. W. Al- 



mr. weston's statement. 181 

len, with whom Mr. Merrifield was in daily consort when 
he wrote it, to bring it to the light to promote his venge- 
ful ends. Where I am known, ii can make no impres- 
sion ; it will be sent back to the man who insinuates it, 
as it was from the office of the Herald of Gospel Liberty. 
Its design was to injure me and create distrust in the re- 
ligious influence of the College, where I am personally 
unknown. 

A. L. Allen, whom Mr. Merrifield gives as authority, 
will not say that I ever said that my views had under- 
gone a material change in any of the doctrines of the 
Christian religion, or in those which specially character- 
ize the Christian denomination ; as Mr. Merrifield's let- 
ter is evidently intended to insinuate. He thinks he 
remembers of our mutually saying, in some conversation 
a long time ago, that our views had been modified on 
some unimportant points, but he does not state when, or 
where, or what. 

This is the sum total of all he reports 1 Now, I have 
no recollection, whatever, of any such conversation ; I do 
remember, however, of his intimating during the College 
year, 1857 — '58, that some of my friends thought I had 
changed ; and of my replying that, while misrepresenta- 
tion was so rife, I expected to be temporarily misunder- 
stood; but time would correct it. I told him, at the 
same time, that my views of religious truth and College 
policy were the same as they had ever been, though my 
opinions of certain men, I confessed, had undergone a 
change. 

I make this statement simply because it is true; and not 
because I deeni it any disgrace for a man to change his views 
for sufficient reason. The man is to be pitied, rather, who 
suffers his prejudices to stultify hisjudgment. Buthowerer 



182 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

much I may hope that advancing years and enlarged oppor- 
tunities have given me wider and clearer views of truth ; 
so far as regard a belief in the professed principles of 
the Christian denomination ; in the Scriptures as in- 
spired by Grod, and sufficient for man ; in Christ as the 
son of Grod and Savior of the world ; in the condition of 
men as lost in sin, and helpless without regeneration and 
salvation by Christ; the only change which time and op- 
portunities have produced in me, is that from strong to 
stronger. 

Conclusion. 

After having expended himself in the manner he has 
to get up a book to damage, to the greatest possible de- 
gree, all who have not gratified his whim, Mr. Allen 
has insinuated that he has a large quantity of material 
yet on hand, from which he can make a book of much 
severer character than the one he has published. Per- 
haps he has. It is altogether possible. I would not 
question it. We have the Arabian Day's Entertainment 
following the Arabian Nights. And after Dean Swift 
had published his Gulliver's Travels, if any Lilliputian 
or Brobdingnag, had complained that he was misrepre- 
sented, the author might have told him to keep still! for 
if any complaint was made, he had more material where 
that came from, as authentic as that he had read, with 
which he might make a story much worse than the one 
he had already told. 

A man who can fabricate conversations, and put words 
into men's mouths which they never uttered, as Mr. Allen 
has in the case of Elder Simonton and others; and can 
publish testimonials as "signed " by men who had been 



mr. weston's statement. 183 

dead for months before the date of his paper, as he has 
in the case of Robert Edmunds ; may be expected to have 
material at his command to furnish any quantity of 
books, filled with any bad quality of matter. 

My unpleasant task is done. It has been reluctantly 
undertaken; it is gladly laid aside. If I know my 
own heart I have no personal feelings to gratify. 
I have sought to keep myself free from them. If I have 
written severely in anything, it has been the severity of 
truth alone. I have had no desire to say anything smart 
or anything wounding, beyond the demands of truth. 
Perhaps I may have written more than was necessary, as 
I have certainly more than I intended. Elder I. C. Goff 
says a half dozen pages would be enough to ruin the book 
and its author. But I wish its author no harm. My deep- 
est feeling for him is pity ; whether he thanks me for 
it ornot. 

I have heard that he is sorry that he published his 
book. I do not wonder. I hope he may have the true 
spirit of repentance: and that soon may end this un- 
happy controversy, and more agreeable and profitable 
employment engage all concerned. 

J. B. WESTON. 
Yellow Springs, 0., June, 1859. 



DR. WARRINER'S STATEMENT. 

On page 9 of Ira W. Allen's " History of Antioch College," 
I find the following paragraph. After quoting the resolu- 
tion, by the adoption of which I was made a member of the 
Faculty of Antioch College, he adds: " It is said that Dr. 
Warriner was recommended to Mr. Mann by one or more 
Unitarian clergymen, and by him to the Board of Trustees ! 
It is also said that Mr. Warriner connected himself with the 
Christian Church of Cincinnati, in accordance with Mr. 
Mann's advice, a short time before his name was laid before 
the Trustees for a Professorship !" Also on the next page : 
" There are not many men, it is to be hoped, who would 
connect themselves with a Church for the sake of a Profes- 
sorship!" I quote with exactness, including exclamation 
points. 

The last two of these points are reasonably intelligible; 
the first is less so. I certainly was recommended to Mr. 
Mann by a Unitarian clergyman, by just one, according to 
the best of my knowledge and belief. What occasion there 
should be for astonishment at that, unless it be at my 
unworthiness to be thus recommended, is not obvious to 
my perceptions. The clergyman referred to, is Kev. A. A. 
Livermore, a man so radiant with the Christian graces, that 
even the malignant temper and jaundiced vision of Ira W. 
Allen, have failed to find in him blame or evil. My secret 
and abiding prayer is, that I may evermore be worthy of 
such a recommendation. 

In regard to my uniting with the Christian Church : that 
occurred in the month of March following my appointment 
to the Professorship; that appointment was made in Octo- 
ber. I do not positively know that Mr. Allen was aware of 
this fact at the time of writing the paragraph I have quoted, 
but it is my profound conviction that he was. The reasons 



DR. WARRINERS STATEMENT. 185 

for this conviction are, 1st. A somewhat indistin 3t recollec- 
tion of a conversation I once had with him on the subject; 
in which the fact was made to appear. 2d. The cowardly 
substitute of " It is said" for the bold falsehood he wished 
to tell. 3d. The intimacy of his relationship to -Mr. Sum- 
merbell, who knew all about the matter. To say that he 
did not know the facts, makes the case very little better for 
his integrity and manliness, leaving out all mention of 
Christian fidelity to truth. It would have cost very little 
labor to have learned the facts. 

And what defense can he plead for making such a state- 
ment without them ? I leave him to take whichever horn 
of the dilemma consoles him most. 

Again: a short time after the appearance of his -'History," 
I received a letter from him, written at the suggestion of 
Mr. Summerbell, in which he acknowledges the mis-state- 
ment under consideration in this wise: referring to the 
time of my joining the Church, he says: " For a short time 
before read, a short time after" &c. He attempts, in brief, to 
make it appear as a simple erratum. The reader may see 
what sense he can make of the rest of the paragraph, excla- 
mation points and all, with the above substitute of " after' 
for "before." After this muddle of a concession, the letter 
goes on to insinuate that, if I didn't join the Church for the 
sake of a Professorship, I did it for a motive no better than 
that, viz: for the sake of counting on the Christian side of 
the Faculty-census. I have no response to make to such an 
utterly contemptible insinuation, and will add but a single 
fact more to this statement. 

There claims to be a second edition of this " History." 
It was issued some months after the above letter was writ- 
ten. It contains no change of the paragraph, no correction oj the 
"Erratum" upon which I have commented. Which is the lie 
here? Is the edition a new one? If so, he reiterates what 
he already acknowledges to be false. If the edition is not a 
new one, then his advertisement is a falsehood. 

H. A. WARRINER 
16 



MR. MAPLE'S STATEMENT. 



Mr. I. W. Allen, in his "History of Antioch College," has 
niade a free and unjust use of my name, and made many 
false charges against me which demand a reply. I propose, 
in as brief a manner as possible, to give a history of my con- 
nection with the very unfortunate controversy about our 
College, and to contrast Mr. Allen's statements with the 
facts in the case. I have no hard things to say about Profes- 
sor Allen, but justice to myself and others requires that the 
facts should be stated. This history professes to be a 
"record of facts;" but instead of this it is "a record" of hard 
sayings, and a misrepresentation of facts. Many things in 
it are without the shndow of a foundation in '-'facts;" and 
where "facts" are mentioned, they are, in many instances, 
so stated as to make an impression on the mind of the 
reader, foreign from the truth. In my review I shall con- 
fine my remarks to those things which came under my own 
observation, and leave others to answer the remainder of 
the work. 

The first of August, 1857, Prof. W. H. Doherty came to' 
my house with a written statement, concerning the reli- 
gious condition of Antioch College, to solicit its publication 
in the columns of the Gospel Herald. That article was the 
one, amended only in a single sentence, which appeared in 
his editorial in the Herald of August 13th, headed, " Antioch 
College. A Warning" — and which is quoted by Mr. Allen in 
his book, pages 79 — 80. Mr. ^Doherty assured me that he 



MR. maple's statement. 187 

could give me the names of fifty students, who, to his per- 
sonal knowledge, had been made infidels at Antioch Col- 
lege. I had unbounded confidence in his truthfulness, and 
as he had been in the College from its commencement, I 
supposed that' he could not be mistaken; therefore T did 
not hesitate, at his request, to adopt his article as my own. 
Elder D. F. Ladley and J. F. Crist made statements to me 
that went to confirm Mr. Doherty's testimony; but their 
information was so vague that I should not have published 
the editorial that I did, if it had not been for Mr. Doherty's 
very positive statement to me. 

In a few days after my editorial appeared, I received 
a reply from Bro. W. R King, which I published in the 
Herald. In my reply to Bro. King, I gave the source of my 
information on which I had based my previous article. I 
gave Mr. W. H. Doherty as authority, and Messrs. Crist and 
Ladley's statements as confirmatory testimony. This I sent 
to the Herald office to be published; but when my editorial 
appeared, what I had said about Mr. Doherty as the source 
of my information was not in it. I could not account for 
this strange omission of the most important part of my 
article. I enquired of Mr. Geary why it was omitted, and 
he informed me that Mr. Doherty was in the office at the 
time when he received my editorial, that he gave it to him 
to read; and that, without his knowledge, Doherty erased 
what referred to him. We make no comment on this. It 
needs none ! 

During the same month, (August,) Prof. D. came to my 
house with another article written by himself, reflecting 
very severely on the managers of the College, for their 
action in regard to the new Faculty, and pronouncing the 
institution "unworthy of the confidence of the Christian 
Church." From his representations, believing the Commit- 
tee to be acting in the bad faith which his article alleged, I 
was induced to adopt that also; and it appeared as editorial 
just as he wrote it, in the Herald of Sept, 30, 1857; under 
the caption— " Antioch College and its new Faculty.— Total 



188 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Exclusion of the Representatives of the Christian Church." 
I did not know then, and he did not tell me, that in addi- 
tion to those names already in the circular, the Committee 
had appointed upon the Faculty, Prof. Thos. Holmes, and 
J. B. Weston, men in whom the denomination had the 
fullest confidence, and that the latter had accepted the 
appointment; I supposed it was not so. If I had known this 
fact, I should not have given my sanction to such an article. 

It was in this article, (copied into the "History," pages 
82 — 83,) that the strong language occurs, which Mr. Allen 
quotes so often, as my expressed opinion of the Faculty and 
managers of the College, and which he places in contrast 
with my subsequent course to fasten on me the charge of 
inconsistency. The language is that of Prof. Doherty; I 
adopted it because I then believed it to be just; but I soon 
learned the contrary. 

When it became necessary for me to defend the position 
that I had taken, I applied to Messrs. Doherty and Ladley 
for the names of the students who had been made infidels 
at Antioch College, and the reader may judge of my sur- 
prise when they could not give one single name. I then 
found that I had been deceived and misled by false state- 
ments, and I must either defend what I now saw to be 
false, or retract and correct what I had said against the 
management of the College. As an honest man, I was 
compelled to take the latter course. This is what Mr. 
Allen calls turning "a short corner;" but it was only follow- 
ing out my convictions of the truth. Messrs. Doherty and 
Allen made statements to me that I afterwards found to be 
without any foundation in truth. These false statements 
led me into an error, and when I discovered that my infor- 
mation was not true, I endeavored to correct the wrong 
impression that had been made on the public mind. This 
was turning from error to truth; from darkness to light; 
from false to true friends. Any other course would have 
been unmanly and wicked. This explanation I made to 
the public through the columns of the Herald, as fully and 



MR. maple's STATExMENT. 189 

explicitly as I could, without a disclosure of the unpleasant 
facts respecting the conduct of individuals. It was made 
long before the publication of this book, and was sufficient 
to account for any seeming inconsistency in my course. 
But this the author wholly omits to mention, and comments 
upon my course as though no such explanation had been 
made. Would an honest man do this? 



Mr. Allen's Oblique Statements. 

There are some other things in Mr. Allen's "History 
of Antioch College," that demand a passing notice. 
On page 95 we read: "He (Maple) further remarked 
that if the committee did not soon reply to the ques- 
tions proposed to them in the Herald, a cerain gentle- 
man who was acquainted with the case would publish the 
facts. I (Allen) determined, therefore, to withhold my 
review until the said gentleman (whose name Maple did 
not give) had published his article. For some reason said ar- 
ticle did not appear, and why, was quite evident, from the 
tone of Mr. Maple's conversation on the 2d of Feb." 

The points in this question to which I wish to call attention 
are the following: 1st. He says that I did not give him the 
name of the gentleman who proposed to give the facts in 
the case if the Committee did not reply. This leaves the 
impression on the mind of the reader that he did not know 
who the gentleman was, when the facts was that he 
did know; and the gentleman was requested by him to 
make the statements referred to. 2d. His language implies 
that I refused to publish "a certain gentleman's" article, 
when he knows that the gentleman referred to never sent 
me any such article. Put these facts and Mr. Allen's state- 
ments together, and how do they look? I need not draw 
the contrast. The reader can do this. 

On page 96 we read: "He (Maple) now declined the pub- 
lication of my review, unless the Executive Committee of 
the Gospel Herald would express their assent; said he 



190 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. '' 

would consult them and write to me immediately. Such 
letter never reached me." I refused to publish Mr. Allen's 
review because it was a low vulgar tirade of abuse against 
the "self-constituted Committee," and not fit for the columns 
of any paper, and especially a religious paper. I was willing 
that he should reply, and told him that, if he would write a 
review, manly and Christian in its language and spirit I would 
cheerfully publish it, and so I would; but I could not con- 
sent to the admission of such an article as he furnished me. 

The above quotation implies that he never received any 
information of the decision of the Executive Committee; or 
that I never laid the matter before them. Every reader 
will draw one of these inferences from his language. The 
facts are the following: the matter was laid before the Com- 
mittee, and it was decided that his article could not be 
published. Brothers Ellis and Winebrenner both wrote to 
him to this effect, and he acknowledged having received their letter. 
Thus the reader will see the true character of Allen's "rec- 
ord of facts." 

Again, he says on the same page of his History: "On the 
18th of March the Herald contained 'the second report' of 
the self-constituted Committee. Of course, methought, the 
Herald will now be open for a reply. Accordingly, I pre- 
pared a brief and pointed card, to be followed by a full re- 
view of the Committee's assertions, and dispatched them at 
once to Dr. Schenk, of Franklin, requesting him to read 
them to Mr. Maple, and hasten its insertion in the paper. 
A few days later the article came back with the announce- 
ment that Maple would not publish it." I refused to pub- 
lish this article because it was filled with hard and unchris- 
tian assertions. Its statements were clothed in the bitterest 
language, breathing a malicious spirit, and was unfit to be 
published. I informed Dr. Schenk that if Mr. Allen would 
prepare an article free from such bitter and unkind remarks, 
it should be published. 

Mr. Allen neglected to record a historical fact of some 
importance from its connection with the history of the above 



MR. maple's statement. 191 

named article. When I refused to publish his card he went 
to Mr. J. Geary and tried to hire him to publish it without my 
knowledge. But Mr. Geary refused. The historian of Anti- 
och College should have recorded this fact, for it throws 
some light on the dark pages of his history. 

He Falsely Reports a Meeting. 

On page 27, when speaking of the meeting of the Execu- 
tive Committee held in Dayton on the 7th of April, the His- 
torian says: 

"Two of the Executive Committee insisted that Prof. Allen 
must not be allowed to reply at all! It would not do! Our 
people are already tired of the controversy! It would in- 
jure the circulation of the Herald! But Eld. J. Ellis and 
Bro. Geary finally succeeded in influencing them to allow 
me as above stated three times the space of the reports. El- 
der J. Ellis maintained that I ought not to be limited at all." 

The above extract, and its connection, convey the idea that 
the two members of the Committee, who were opposed to 
Mr. Allen's having the use of the columns of the Herald to 
reply to the self-constituted Committee were Maple and 
Eeeder. This is false, and Mr. Allen knew that it was not 
true when he wrote the above paragraph. It was Wine- 
brenner and Reeder. I was willing that he should reply if he 
would write in a proper spirit. Mr. Allen says: "Eld. J. 
Ellis maintained that I ought not to be limited at all. 11 This is 
a false statement. Elder Ellis said before the Committee, 
and in the presence of Mr. Allen, a number of times, that he 
was in favor of Allen having three times the amount of 
space occupied by the Committee's report, "and that there 
the matter must end. 11 This is Bro. Ellis' language. 

On page 98 Mr. Allen says: "Was it not enough for Ma- 
ple and Reeder to insist that my reply should be limited, 
and limited to three times the space in the Herald occupied 
by the self-constitued Committee? Why must they specify 
the language that I must use, and the matter which I must 
introduce, and the manner in which I must answer the char- 



192 REJOINDER— ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

ges?" We required him to be limited to the matter bear- 
ing directly on the question, and to "couch his reply in re- 
spectful language," because we had seen a sample of his style 
of writing in the articles that he had already prepared for 
the Herald. They were not confined to the subject, nor 
"couched in respectful language;" but were written in a bad 
spirit and "couched in" bitter and unchristian language. 

His Newspaper Review. 

Again on page 98, Mr. Allen saj^s: "I prepared a manu- 
script review of said reports as near five columns long as I 
could judge, and dispatched it to Dr. Schenk, with the re- 
quest that he would submit it to Eld. Maple, etc., so that it 
might appear in the next week's issue of the Herald." The 
article sent by Mr. Allen was of sufficient length to fill about 
ten columns of the Herald, instead of five. 

On page 100 and 101 is a letter from Dr. W. L. Schenk in 
which it is said that I promised Dr. Schenk that the whole 
article should be published. This is a mistake. The facts 
are the following. "Dr. Schenk handed me Mr. Allen's 
review to read. I informed him that I had nothing to say 
about the matter, any farther than to confine him to the use 
"of respectful language ;" that the committee had limited 
him to three times the amount of space occupied by the re- 
port of the self-constituted Committee, which I supposed 
would be about three columns. I read the review, and ob- 
jected to some hard and uncalled for expressions. These 
Dr. Schenk erased. I then told him that I had no objec- 
tion to publishing the review as it was, provided that it 
could be put in the space allowed him by the Committtee. 
I sent it to Mr. Geary with directions to follow the instruc- 
tions of the Executive Committee. I never told Dr. Schenk 
that I would publish the whole review whether it would go 
into the space allotted to Mr. Allen or not. Mr. Allen char- 
ges me with "duplicity to Dr. Schenk." This is not true. 
I did just what I promised Dr. Schenk that I would do. 



MR. maple's statement. 193 

A base Suppression of Facts. 

On page 181, 1. W. Allen publishes two letters, or extracts 
from them. One was written to Mr. Lynn and the other to 
Allen. On page 182, are extracts from another letter of mine 
bearing on the same point. In those letters the following 
passage occurs : " There are some things in the Committee's 
report on the College to which I objected, and told Mr. 
Mann that they must be left out, or he must not put my 
name to it ; but notwithstanding this, he put my name to it 
unjustly." 

The facts in regard to this matter, are the following : Hon. 
H. Mann came to my house with the report that he and the 
other members of the Committee had prepared. He read it 
to me. There was one thing in the address that I objected 
to ; but after some conversation about the objectional 
feature I signed the report. It was left with me to send 
to Mr. G-eary to publish. I instructed Mr. Geary to strike 
off a proof and send it to Mr. Mann to read. The next 
morning after Mr. Mann was at my house I read over the 
report carefully, and I then thought that the feature in it 
to which I had objected would do harm, and had much 
better be left out. I sent the report to Mr. Geary, but wrote 
to Mr. Mann that he had better strike out the part I ob- 
jected to when he came to read the proof. He replied that 
he had seen Elder J. G. Keeder, and that he objected to 
having it left out. When I received this letter I wrote to 
Mr. Mann to leave the objectional feature out, or to omit my 
name; for I would not consent to have my name con- 
nected with the report and let the objectional features re- 
main. Time passed, the Committee's report was published 
with the objectional feature somewhat changed, but in sub- 
stance the same. I heard nothing from Mr. Mann for sever- 
al weeks, and I thought that he had treated me "unjustly" 
in publishing the report as it was with my name to it. In 
my correspondence with Messrs. Lynn, Allen and 0. J. "Wait 
I expressed my feelings pretty freely on the matter. After 

17 



194 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

I had written to the above gentlemen I received a letter 
from Mr. Mann that explained the whole matter and exhon- 
erated him from all blame. He was absent lecturing in the 
West, when my second letter reached the Springs, and the 
Committee's report was published before he saw it. This set 
the matter right in my mind. I wrote to Brother Wait ex- 
plaining the matter to him, and freeing Mr. Mann from all 
blame. I also explained the matter to Prof. I. W. Allen, 
five months before his book was published. But he suppresses 
this fact and makes use of my letters to prove what he knew 
to be false. I also explained the matter to Mr. J. T. Lynn. 
These are the facts in the case, and they free Mr. Mann from 
all blame in the matter. 

" Indiana " Scheme to raise an Excitement. 

On page 185 Mr. Allen, in speaking of his plan for the 
redemption of the College, says : " My motives were pure. 
My object was in a humble way, to aid in raising Antioch 
College from its present unhappy condition and in restoring 
it to its founders. The insinuation of selfish interests is ma- 
licious and unchristian." When Mr. Allen presented his 
plan for the redemption of the College he urged me to pub- 
lish it by every consideration that he could present ; and 
among other things he said, " It will defeat the Franklin 
Stock plan if it does nothing else, and that must be done by 
all means." This shows the purity of his motives. Their 
purity is also seen in the fact that after he had written and 
published the " Indiana Plan" he wrote an article for the 
Gospel Herald, advocating it, signed " Ohio," and also another 
for the Herald and Messenger, signed " Buckeye ;" and still 
another signed " New-York," thus making the impression on 
the public mind that this plan had many advocates, where 
there was but one, Prof. I. W. Allen. Shall we write under 
these facts, " My motives were pure?" 

On page 190 Mr. Allen says : "An able friend and brother 
communicated an excellent article to the Gospel Herald, of 



MR. maple's statement. 195 

February 11th, from which I extract." Then follows a long 
extract. This article is signed " Ohio," and was written by 
Prof. Ira W. Allen, (though I believe he got another man to 
copy it for him,) and yet he says: "An able friend and 
brother communicated, &c." Write under this fact "my 
motives are pure." 

His Personal Insinuations. 
On page 233 we read : " Indeed, reliable people have told 
me things concerning Mr. Maple's former character and 
course in life, which I could hardly believe, even after the 
transactions of the past twelve months. At these late zig- 
zag, tortuous and dark transactions they did not seem sur- 
prised ! They could hardly expect better things, said they, 
of Mr. James Maple." Here Mr. Allen throws out dark 
hints, and insinuates that "Mr. James Maple" has been 
guilty of some terrible crimes in his past " course of life." 
If Mr. Allen had good authority for such statements why 
does he not give it ? If he knew of such black crimes why 
did he not publish them? Those who have read his book and 
seen with what industry he has hunted up everything that 
he could by any possible amount of twisting and false state- 
ments convert into an instrument of persecution to injure 
those who have opposed him in his "late zig-zag, tortuous 
and dark transactions of the past" three years will not very 
readily believe, that if he had known anything against me 
so dark as he insinuates, that he would have kept it out of 
his book. The spirit and language of his book shows that 
he would have rejoiced over such facts, and made the most 
of them that he could. The truth is he knew of nothing, 
and his slanderous insinuations are without any foundation 
in fact. I am willing that he may publish all the facts about 
me that he can gleam from my "past course of life;" but I 
want him to confine himself to facts, and not throw out in- 
sinuations that he knows are false. I am willing that Mr. 
Allen, or any other person, may " take a look at my antece- 
dents." 



196 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

Mr. Allen says on page 233 : " We deeply regret that Mr. 
Maple had not stamina sufficient to keep him erect, not only 
on his own account, but on account of the tarnished honor of 
the Connection." "We assure Mr. Allen that our " stamina" 
has been sufficient to keep us true to our conviction of truth 
We were led astray from the proper course that we should 
have taken concerning the College, by the false statements 
of Messrs. Allen and Doherty; but we soon learned the 
facts in the case, and had " stamina sufficient" to follow the 
truth, though it did call down on our humble head the 
thunders of Prof. Allen, the self-styled embodiment of de- 
nominational purity and zeal. We think, however, that we 
shall out-live the storm ; and yet see the time when Mr. Al- 
len will be ashamed that he ever wrote a " History of Anti- 
och College." 

On page 236 Mr. Allen thus dismisses Mr. Maple : "Over 
numerous other statements and acts of Mr. Maple, we pass 
in silence, for the present, and we hope forever." It is our 
humble opinion that Mr. Allen could have been much 
better employed than in writing what he has about " Mr. 
Maple;" and we think it would have been to his credit if he 
had been careful to have stated nothing but the truth about 
" Mr. Maple." 

The History of Antioch College is a remarkable book. It 
was conceived in an unfortunate spirit, and manifests a ma- 
lignant disposition. It will confirm the prejudices of some, 
furnish a text-book for our enemies ; but it will soon pass 
silently into that oblivious receptacle of things, " Abortive, 
monstrous, or unkindly mixed," described by Milton: 

" All these, up- whirled aloft, 
Flew o'er the backside of the world, far off, 
Into a limbo large and wide, since called 
The Paradise of Fools — to few unknown 

Long after. — " 

Franklin, O., May, 1859. JAMES MAPLE. 



MR. FESSENDEN'S STATEMENT. 



I find my name in Mr. Ira W. Allen's so-called "History 
among those whom he has done the honor to abuse. As his 
book shows so evidently that' the whole object of this abuse 
is to retaliate upon me for having testified to some things 
which I knew of him, before the Committee which came here 
to examine the reasons of his not being appointed again on 
the Faculty, and as the most of it consists of low and spite- 
ful personalities I propose to give it but little notice. As to 
the testimony given before that Committee, it is true, and 
no amount of personal abuse can invalidate it. To the 
most material part of it, a third person (Prof. "Weston) was 
witness, whose recollection of the case entirely corroborates 
my statement. 

To all that he says on pp. 151 and 152 about my hoping 
that if any sayings or doings respecting myself should come 
to his knowledge he would communicate them to me; — 
about my informing him that Mr. Mann was not my friend; 
and about his giving me his friendship and to some extent 
his trust; — I have only to say that I never expressed to him 
such a desire, and never gave him such information. But 
the contrary is true. He did make precisely such a propo- 
sition to me, and proposed in turn to keep me informed if 
any thing was done or said about me. And accordingly he 
told me that Mr. Mann was not my friend, but a secret ene- 
my. He told me many things both of a general and specific 
nature to *iake me believe it, and one time made quite an 
impression on my mind that such was really the case. But 
I subsequently found that he was deceiving me both as to 
general spirit and specific acts. I could name cases in which he 
gave me reports positively false, as I afterwards learned from 



198 REJOINDER ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

disinterested persons, of action taken in the Faculty in mat- 
ters pertaining to my interest, in order to convince me that 
Mr. Mann was my enemy and himself my special friend. It 
was in this way that "he gave me his friendship and to some 
extent his trust." 

He was quite communicative to me, as may be inferred 
from his own statements. Why it was, I cannot tell, unless 
he thought I would second him in his designs. He told me 
many of his plans and purposes what he had power to do, 
and what he expected to accomplish. From what I gath- 
ered from him in these frequent interviews, I came to the fol- 
lowing conclusions: 

Mr. I. W. Allen looked forward to the Presidency of An- 
tioch College. In order to accomplish this end, a party was 
formed of certain individuals, of which he was the nucleus, 
and the object of which was to criticise, find fault, and do 
and say what would undermine the character of Mr- 
Mann and eventually to get him removed. At a fitting 
time the name of Mr. Allen was to be brought forward as a 
candidate for President, with the expectation of success^ 
The consummation of this was to be brought about at the 
regular Trustee's meeting in 1857, but the assignment frus- 
trated his plans. 

My reasons for coming to the above conclusions are the 
following: 

1. The knowledge I had of the meeting and conversation 
of such individuals. 

2. The tenor of Mr. Allen's conversations with me as above 
described. 

3. The frequent more direct and positive assertions made 
by Mr. Allen to me. For instance: 

In a certain interview with Mr. Allen he held out, as a 
reason why I should go with him, that he was able to support 
me, that he had influence and power enough among the 
Trustees to protect me, and would do it; but if I was not 
careful there would be an influence brought to bear against 
me more powerful than Mr. Mann's, for as sure as the sun 



MR. FESSENDEN'S STATEMENT. 199 

shone, the College would be wrested from the hands of Mr. 
Mann, and then, where would his influence be? 

At another time when he began to suspect that my confi- 
dence in him was wavering, I met him near Mr. Mann's 
house. In a short interview, he tried to re-assure me of 
his strength and power; telling me that he had had in- 
terviews with many of the Trustees and he knew their feel 
lugs in regard to Mr. Mann; that Mr. Mann thought he was 
on a sure foundation, but he was very much deceived; that 
there were certain charges which he (Allen) could furnish 
which would be sufficient to get him removed; and if Mr. 
Mann was not careful what he did and what he said, he 
would come down upon him; that he had the means in his 
hands, and was only waiting for a quarrel, when, at the next 
Trustees' meeting, he could get him discharged. Yet all 
this time he was conducting himself to Mr. Mann's face 
with smiles and suavity. 

These were not the only conversations of a similar charac- 
ter, which he had with me. As he says, they were "frequent." 

4 My fourth reason for these conclusions is a conversa- 
tion with Mr. A. M. Merrifield, who was Mr. Allen's confi- 
dential, bosom friend, then boarding at his house. In a con- 
versation at my house on College affairs, Mr. M. said that 
there would probably be a change in the President's Chair. 
Not that he had personally any objection to Mr. Mann's edu- 
cational abilities, but there were objections from various sour- 
ces, and Mr. Mann was not the man for the place. He said 
there was but one man in the Christian denomination who 
was sufficiently well qualified in every respect to fill the 
place, and that was Ira W. Allen; that he was growing in 
popularity both with the students and abroad, as he (Merri- 
field) personally knew. This conversation took place in the 
presence of Mrs. Fessenden. 

Circumstances coming to my knowledge from other 
sources also confirmed my convictions. 

On p. 152 Mr. Allen speaks of an effort made against me 



200 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

in a meeting of the Trustees, which he says exhibited a de- 
termination to remove me from the College. He says: 

" On leaving the meeting to go down town, I met Mr. F. 
coming up near Mr. Mann's house, and told him what was 
going on in the meeting of the Board, remarking that it was 
surprising to me that Mr. Mann should sit and allow Dean 
and Blake (his relatives by marriage) to go on in that style 
against him, (Mr. F.) when a word from his (Mann's) mouth 
would make them whist; that if Mr. Mann was truly his 
friend he would I thought defend him; and advising him 
to be on his guard, I passed on." 

This extract is calculated to leave in the mind of the 
reader the impression which he intended to make upon 
me, namely, that Mr. Mann, by silence, consented to and 
favored the scheme. Mr. Allen did make the above remarks 
to me, but these are not all. He also said that he had no 
doubt that Mr. Mann was at the bottom of it, and the oth- 
ers were only acting as his tools. He said it was a plan of 
Mr. Mann to get me out. 

But the fact was, Mr. Mann was the first who informed 
me that any such thing was to be attempted, and told me to 
prepare a statement and he would have it presented to the 
Trustees and would see that I had justice done me. This 
was before Mr. Allen had made these insinuations. Soon 
after Mr. Mann had spoken to me, Prof. Pennell came to 
me, also, telling me the same thing and making the same 
suggestion. I followed their advice. Mr. Mann took my 
part in the meeting, and it is to his faithfulness to me and 
his early notice of the movement tenfold more than to Mr. 
Allen that I am indebted for being so triumphantly sus- 
tained. 

The facts connected with this case had a leading and 
most decided influence in convincing me that Mr. Allen had 
been deceiving me. His own report of his language to me 
shows (which was true) that he was endeavoring to keep me 
under the conviction that Mr. Mann was an enemy to me. 
I was greatly surprised, therefore, when Mr. Mann came to 



MR. FESSENDEN's STATEMENT. 201 

me, giving me that information and advice, and prof- 
fering his aid. I hardly knew whether to believe that he 
was acting truly, and that Mr. Allen had been deceiving me, 
or that Mr. Allen had told me the truth and that Mr. Mann 
and Mr. Pennell were both acting a deceitful part now. One 
or other must be true. I met Mr. Weston and stated th e case 
to him, and asked him what he thought. He replied that, 
whatever he might think of Mr. Allen, he did not think Mr. 
Mann or Mr. Pennell capable of acting so deceitful a part in 
the case. I told him there must be great deceit on one side 
or the other, and I was at a loss to know which, and loth 
to believe either. We concluded it best to say nothing 
about it, but watch the movements of both parties, and time 
would decide the question. It has decided it to my utmost 
satisfaction. 

On p. 153 Mr. Allen gives his description of an inter- 
view between Mr. Mann and myself, in which he says Mr. 
Mann "pounced upon" me, &c. Now if this had been true, 
how could he know it? Was he present? He does not pre- 
tend it. It is all really and evidently false. The fact is 
this: 

In a certain interview between Mr. Mann and myself, in 
the course of the conversation, Mr. Mann, induced by some 
cause unknown to me, asked me directly and as though he 
was well assured of the fact, if Prof. Allen had been saying 
things to me unfavorable to him (Mr. Mann) and to preju- 
dice me against him. The facts in the case and the form of 
the question were such that I could not have given him an 
evasive answer if I had desired; and I told him he had. 
After a little pause, Mr. Mann said, "Can it be possible that 
Mr. Allen can so forfeit his word? He has promised me, on 
his word and honor, that if he had anything unfavorable to 
say in regard to me he would first come to me, and would 
never speak or write anything derogatory to me till he had 
done so." He said he must see Mr. Allen about it, if I had 
no objections. I told him I had none whatever. 



202 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

After leaving Mr. Mann I reflected that there had been 
no witness to the conversation between Mr. Allen and my- 
self, and if he should deny what he had said, I could not 
prove it. I resolved to have an interview with Allen in 
the presence of a witness. This led me to see Mr. Weston, 
in whose judgment I had confidence, and to communicate 
the above fact to him, and to ask his advice. The result 
was the interview and conversation with Mr. Allen, a true 
and correct statement of which Mr. Weston has read to me 
and will give to the public. 

The assertion on page 156 that I "was stoutly opposed to 
Mr. Fay's becoming pastor of Christian Church in this place," 
is untrue. I was in favor of him and voted for him, as is 
well known. 

It is said, on p. 157, "He (myself) said in a store in this 
town, in the presence of several persons, that he (I) should not 
dare to oppose Horace Mann, for his bread and butter depended on 
him! " 

Of all the slang which he has used against me to invalidate 
the force of my testimony, this is the only thing which 
would have the least weight if it were true; and this is false! 
I never made such a remark; and he cannot find a single 
truthful man who will say that he was one of "several per- 
sons" who heard me say it. I am not that kind of a man. 
But it is not strange that a man whose life as well as word, 
(see p. 113) expresses that "a $1000 per year and a Profes- 
sorship for life are worth struggling for," should be forward 
with such a suspicion. 

The Melodeon Story. 

On p. 59 of his "Church History" he says: "On the 12th 
of February, towards evening, William M. King, and Mr. 
Harrington, broke into the Chapel, when L. Gr. Fessenden, 
S. M. Davis, [Lewis,] Birch'' and sons, Twist and others, 
came in, and taking possession of a large melodeon used by 
the choir, carried it away." 



MR. FESSENDEN'S STATEMENT. 203 

By this he evidently designs to make his readers believe 
that the Chapel was feloniously broken into, that the melo- 
deon belonged to the choir; that it was taken possession of 
(stolen) by persons who had no interest in it; and that I was a 
party to the transaction. These four statements are four 
falsehoods; as was shown before Conference's Committee of 
investigation, and as can be shown again by any reasonable 
amount of evidence. The house was not entered in any un- 
usual way, as was proved as above; the choir had no inter- 
est in the melodeon, except the conditional privilege of us- 
ing it, granted by the owners; and those who took posses- 
sion of it were the owners themselves. 

That I was not there at that time and had nothing what- 
ever to do with the removal of it, can be proved by all who 
were present. 

The melodeon belonged to a Young People's Association, 
and the use of it was granted to the choir on certain condi- 
tions. The control of it was in the hands of a Committee of 
five. The pastor of the Church, Mr. Fay, was on leave of 
absence attending to College business; there had been no 
Sabbath service for several weeks; the Chapel was said to 
have changed proprietors; the melodeon was of no use there 
and was getting damaged. Under these circumstances the 
Committee thought it best to remove it. Three of the five 
signed an order for its removal, and the others both ap- 
proved the act. One of them was then out of town; the 
other, Mr. A. L. Allen, brother of Ira W., authorized me to 
say that he approved the act and should have signed the 
order if he had been asked. The melodeon was for months 
in the house of Mr. Allen, was there when he wrote the book. 
So, if the instrument was stolen, he was a receiver of the 
stolen goods, and the crime was upon him at the time. But 
the crime was not in the rg-ception, but in the c/e-ception. 

The melodeon has since been sold by the same Committee, 
and the proceeds, by unanimous agreement, devoted to An- 
tioch College Library. 
Mr. Allen took it very ill at the time the melodeon was 



204 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

moved. He imagined that, having a pretense to a title to a 
piece of real estate, all the personal property, — melodeon, 
Sunday School library and all — belonged to him, also. The 
following certificate from Mr Myron Haight, shows with 
what temper he took the announcement that the committee 
had taken possession of their own property* 

"Yellow Springs, 0., June22d, 1859. 

"In Feb. 1858, the day on which the melodeon was re- 
moved from the Christian Chapel, Mr. Ira W. Allen said in 
my presence in relation to those who removed it, that, if he 
had been there he would have split their heads open; at the 
same time exhibiting a large hickory cane he held in his 
hand. 

[Signed,] Myron Haight." 

His friend and co-trustee, Mr. J. A. Layton, was even more 
enraged than he, as his threats to me and also to Mr. Craig, 
about pistols and shooting plainly show. 

Let the parents of the Christian denomination consider 
whether a man who exhibits such a temper and disposition 
and who will, months after, in cool deliberation, publish such 
falsehoods, is a man to whom they would wish to entrust the 
care and education of their children! 

L. G. FESSENDEN. 

Yellow Springs. June, 1856. 



ELDER SIMONTON'S STATEMENT. 



I am desired to make a statement in reference to that 
"History of Antioch College" by Prof. Allen. I can only speak 
of that portion of it which has reference to myself. 

In the first place, Prof. Allen wrote to me stating certain 
points he desired me to answer. I did not answer him at the 
time; but soon after I met him in Troy, when he urged that I 
should make a statement in writing and send it to him at 
the Springs. I did not think at the time that I was send- 
ing it to publish in a book, or in any other form; I think he 
has done me great injustice in making the use of it that he 
has without my consent. 

Secondly, he puts words into my mouth and takes them out 
again, and sends them to the world, that I never said to him, nor 
any other man. Is this just, between those who are brethren 
in more than one sense of that term? He makes me say 
that Mr. Fay flattered and hoodwinked McWhinney until 
the encrustations of soft solder became so thick that he (Mr. 
W.) could not see out;" and that he (Mr. Fay) attempted to 
varnish me over in the same way, by telling me that my "in- 
fluence was great and potent with the Christians, &c, and if two 
such distinguished men as yourself and McWhinney come 
over to the College, and hear my 'reasons,' and then publish 
a 'report' with your names appended, it will set College 
affairs all right with our churches." This Mr. Fay never said 
to me, neither did I say it to Mr. Allen. The first I ever 
heard of such talk was in Mr. Aliens book. 

Mr. Allen questioned me on these points, and I told him 
at the time as near as I could remember what Mr. Fay said to 
me; which I will here state. Mr. Fay said "they wanted to 
select men that the churches knew, men in whom they had 



206 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

confidence; that I had been raised here in the west, and 
that a statement from me and others named would have 
more influence than it would coming from strangers," in all 
of which there is neither '■soft solder nor fulsome praise.' 1 I 
did not think that Mr. Fay was the man that Mr. Allen 
would have us believe him; hence I had more good sense 
than to tell Mr. A. any such stuff. 

It appears, too, that as soon as Mr. Allen learned that 
my 'great and potent influence with the Church was on the 
side of redeeming the College on the plan before the people, 
he could not be content without giving me a blow, when at 
the same time, I had never said a word against him; but 
had been his friend. In striking at the College he must in- 
clude all its friends. And as he considered 'Mann, Fay & Co. 1 
at the head of all the corruption presented in his book, he 
comes to the sage, Allen-like conclusion, that the 'insidious 
influence of Mann, Fay, & Co., have, we fear, swerved even Bro. 
Simonton from the straight way, and blinded even his eyes to 
the truth.' 'Do not his numerous and lengthy articles, so far 
as they have any point, indicate this. 1 Do say! His articles were 
written under the 'insidious influence of Mann, Fay & Co. ! 

I will here inform Mr. Allen and all concerned, that Mr. 
Mann Fay & Co.,' have never had me 'under their insidious in- 
fluence, neither has Mr. Allen; though I think he would have 
been much pleased had it been so. But I have a mind of 
my own and I intend to use it. 

Mr. Mann, Fay & Co. have never made an effort to ring 
me in and blind my mind to the truth. But Mr. Allen 
would be glad to convince the Churches among whom I have 
been preaching over twenty years that this is even so. And 
to make the matter appear in the most unfavorable light, he 
says, "Mr. Mann, has Antioch College under one thumb, and 
several of the blustering Christian Ministers under the other" 
Reader, mark the word, — blustering Christian Ministers. He 
here makes a thrust at Christian Ministers, who had by 
their devotion to the cause of truth, earned a good name 



MR. simonton's statement. 207 

among men before he had left the fostering care of his good 
old father and mother. This does not come with a very- 
good grace from a young man of but yesterday among us, 
when it is applied to men who have spent the best of their 
days in the defence of truth. 

I have written these few lines to defend truth, and justice. 
I care but little about what has been said about me. If per- 
mitted to live, I can outlive all that has been said, and more 
too, if it may be said. 

I have always believed Mr. Mann to be a Christian gen- 
tleman of a high intellectual order, well qualified for the 
position he holds; and I have no desire to see him removed, 
until I have good and substantial reasons for changing my 
mind. I regret that circumstances have made it my duty to 
make these statements, but I have only told the simple 
truth, so far as I am concerned. 

New Carlisle, March 21, 1859. 

H. SIMONTON. 



VOLUNTARY STATEMENTS OF THE 
FIRST GRADUATING CLASS. 

Among the few true things in Mr. Allen's book are his 
statements on page 75, concerning the members of the class 
of '5 7, — the first graduating class. His remark shows that 
the members of that class had no special ill-will toward him, 
and that they were persons of fair character and good judg- 
ment. This class knew Mr. Allen longer than any other 
class did. He himself shows (page 20) that he was their 
teacher both in Mathematics and German. He had ample 
opportunity to pour out to this class all the "love and poe- 
try" of his youthful heart. Though his characteristic mod- 
esty would doubtless shrink from public commendation, 
perhaps he will permit this class, under his present very 
peculiar circumstances, to disregard his wishes for once, and 
to make known to the world the sentiment with which he 
has inspired them, and the deep impressions made upon 
them by his scholarship and character. 

A single letter, as brief as could be written, was sent to 
each member of this class, asking his opinion of Mr. Allen 
as a teacher and as a man, and asking whether Mr. Mann 
ever tried to induce him to take other studies instead of 
Mathematics, as Mr. Allen charged. To the latter question 
they replied with a unanimous and indignant No! They 
affirmed that Mr. Mann repeatedly induced them to take 
the mathematics, much against their will, and, as they 
believe, to their detriment. 

These members of the class, (Mr. Yeoman, Mr, Robinson, 
and A. M. Weston,) have never responded to the letter sent, 
probably never having received it. Their opinion, however, 



STATEMENT OF GRADUATING CLASS. 209 

is well known; and in no respect differs from that of their 
classmates. 

Four other members of the class (Mr. J. B. Weston, Mr. 
Badger, and Mr. and Mrs. Eli Jay,) are debarred from testi- 
tifying: since they live at Yellow Springs, three of them as 
teachers in the College. Their testimony, though stronger 
than that of the others, is withheld; since it might be sup- 
posed that they share in this community's detestation of Mr. 
Allen's mendacious course. 

The testimony of the other members of this class is sub- 
joined. Kemember, these are mature persons. They knew 
Mr. Allen three years. Many of them were at the College 
longer than he was. They saw his course from the beginning 
to the end. They came in contact with him much more 
than with any other teacher. They knew him better than 
any other class did. They send their letters from remote 
states, and even from different continents. There was no 
chance for interchange of opinion. They have not been back 
to the College since they and Mr. Allen left. Their opinions 
are sent in answer to the simple question, "What is your opin- 
ion of Mr. Allen as a teacher and as a man?" & , Their opin- 
ions are deliberate. It is nearly two years, since these per- 
sons graduated. They have certainly had time to reflect as 
to whether the opinions they held did Mr. Allen injustice. 
Besides, they have Mr. Allen's public endorsement that " for 
high scholarship and thorough discipline they would have 
done honor to the oldest colleges in the land." 

Note, that these statements are those of responsible per- 
sons, holding many of them important public positions. One 
of them is the testimony of a dying man, the signature ap- 
pended to it being the last his hand ever made. Note, that 
while these opinions differ in the estimate put on Mr. Allen 
as a teacher, they are unanimous in their opinion of him as 
a man. On this last head some have declined to speak, de- 
siring to say nothing of a man when they could say nothing 
good. But the testimony, as far as it goes, is a unit; and 
18 



210 REJOINDEft — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

it goes far enough to convince any mind that the opinion 
thus concurred in by a dozen persons, in different parts of 
the world, cannot be without foundation. The following 
speak for themselves. 

Mr. Newell Tibbetts, the best mathematician of the class, 
writes as follows: 

"As a teacher I considered him superficial, mechanical, 
and governed entirely by numbers and formulse instead of 
the principles or subject of the instruction! ' 

Miss Achsah E. Waite, a lady teacher of whom you will 
hear honorable mention made in Chicago, says: — 

* In mathematics, I did not like him at all: and if his 
management of our class was a fair specimen of his manner 
of teaching the sciences generally, I must consider him 
somewhat below my standard, &c. &c." 

G. F. Childs, a prominent teacher in St. Louis, says: — "I do 
not wish to say anything against Mr. Allen either as a man 
or as a teacher. He labored hard to do well by our class. 
That he had many faults and lacked many of the qualifica- 
tions of his position, none can deny. * * * * * * * 
"The slanderer's course is short. A fish on dry land makes 
a great fuss; but let him alone, and he will die himself." 

Mr. C. V. Clemons, a mature and candid man, and now a 
member of the medical profession, writes as follows: — 

"My opinion of Prof. Allen as a teacher was not very 
favorable. That his educational qualifications were suffi- 
cient I did not doubt; but his characteristic hauteur, and lack 
of all the essential elements that go to make up the agreea- 
ble, gentlemanly teacher, would in my opinion, totally dis- 
qualify him for being a successful and popular teacher. As 
a man, my opinion is still more unfortunate. He was sensi- 
tively suspicious, and ambitiously if not treacherously sel- 
fish; and his sympathy, like his friendship, sometimes dem- 
onstrative, was always forced. I have often thought him a 
petty Wallenstein, but with very few of the noble traits of 
Schiller's hero. Such is my opinion of Prof. Allen, and un- 



STATEMENT OF GRADUATING CLASS. 211 

favorable as it is, I do assure him and his opponents alike, 
that what I have said has not been "set down in malice," but 
with the most grateful remembrance of his uniform but 
studied kindness toward myself." 

Mr. Frank S. Curtis, a young gentleman rapidly rising to 
eminence at the Chicago bar, writes: — 

" As a teacher I was very much pleased with him (Allen,) 
but as a man I was not. I am in no wise prejudiced against 
Mr. Allen; yet as a man of honor and true moral character, 
I think him quite deficient. I believe him to be quite de- 
ceitful and hypocritical, both socially and religiously; and I 
know that he will violate his word, and to my certain 
knowledge did, to satisfy a little revenge." 

Prof. N. Fellows, a gentleman well known in the South, 
and a keen judge of human nature, says: — 

" My opinion of Mr. I. W. Allen as a teacher is no secret 
among my friends. I have always considered him as in- 
competent to impart instruction in any respectable college; 
and, from his general obtuseness on the subject of human 
nature, only moderately qualified for a leading position in a 
Union School. 

'As a man I am not conscious that he enjoys a very large 
store of my affection. Still, I would do him no injustice; 
nor have I ever denied him the possession of certain abili- 
ties; though I am free to confess that I have failed to dis- 
cover in him any remarkable powers, except, perhaps, those of 
digestion, secretion and assimilation, for which, in my judg- 
ment, he is unsurpassed by any College Professor in the 
Union. 

"In concluding this note I would hereby take occasion to 
thank you and my friends for the opportunity of expressing 
my contempt for the self-conceited numb-skull, who, by 
falsehood, by repeated slanders and base insinuations, has 
sought and is seeking to undermine a man whose lofty 
character and brilliant genius are as much above Allen's 



212 REJOINDER — ANTIOCH COLLEGE. 

capacity of appreciating them, even, as the Brain is above the 
Diaphragm." 

E. Gr. Horr, Esq., who was held in such estimation by his 
fellow citizens as to be elected County Clerk of Loraine Co. , 
immediately after his graduation, writes as follows: — 

" To give you in full my opinion of him as a teacher and 
a man would be to furnish a sad chapter on the meanness 
of human nature when depraved and perverted. As a teach- 
er, he is cold, formal, stiff, with limited powers of explana- 
tion, frequently thick-headed and often overbearing and in- 
sulting. 

"His knowledge is wholly confined to what he has gath- 
ered from books. I do not remember of his ever having 
exhibited the faintest glimmer of originality. But perhaps 
his greatest defect as a teacher lies in his entire destitution 
of those qualities which make pupils esteem and love a 
teacher. During the two years I was at Antioch, I never 
heard a single word of affection dropped in his favor. 

" As a man, his case is still worse. His most remarkable 
intellectual quality is unbounded egotism; which, combined 
with what he considers " foreign manners," renders him a 
laughing stock to men of sense. 

" For a man of his age, his bearing cannot but be dis- 
gusting to all people of intelligence. But, with all his faults, 
did he but possess unyielding integrity, he would be still en- 
durable. But when you come to add to his superciliousness 
a back-biting disposition, coupled with sordid selfishness 
and sneaking treachery, you have Prof. Allen with his glass- 
es off 

" I do not know of a man who seems to me more devoted 
to self, who possesses so little regard for the good of others. 
I have no hesitation in saying that I have no confidence in 
his integrity, when self-aggrandizement is his object, and 
that covers a vast deal of time in his case." 

Miss Ada Shepard was Mr. Allen's teacher in French, and 
knew him intimately. Since his disappointment (as Profes- 



STATEMENT OP GRADUATING CLASS. 213 

sor) she has been travelling in Europe. She writes from 
Rome as follows: — 

"As a teacher, I never admired him, and very soon be- 
came entirely dissatisfied with him. His qualifications were 
decidedly insufficient for a Professor in a college. Morally 
I consider him a dangerous person to hold a position as an 
educator of youth. I know him to be slanderous, deceitful, 
and entirely untrustworthy." 

As these were given with the permission to use them pub- 
licly, they are submitted as the kind of endorsement which 
the First Graduating Class of Antioch College gives to Mr. 
I. W. Allen. 

H. C. BADGER. 



REJOINDER TO CHURCH HISTORY. 

As a fitting accompaniment of his College History, 
Mr. Allen has published what he calls a "History of the 
Christian Church of Yellow Springs." Of this Mr. Al- 
len is well known to be the author, though the names of 
other men are appended to it. The aim of it is of a 
piece with that of his so-called History of Antioch Col- 
lege, namely, to throw reproach upon the friends of the 
College and of the First Christian Church, and to give 
the impression to the public that they had committed 
gross wrongs, and that the First Church was now an ex- 
tinct organization. 

It is very proper that an attack upon the College and 
an attack on the First Christian Church should be put in 
the same book. Their interests are the same, and the at- 
tacks upon them have the same origin, the same spirit and 
the same end. They are associated together by Mr. Al- 
len and in the minds of the public. A vindication of 
the Church, therefore, is equally a vindication of the Col- 
lege. 

The best answer to all his tissue of untrue assertions 
and allegations is the report of a Committee appointed by 
the Miami Christian Conference to come to Yellow 
Springs and investigate the matters at issue between the 
Churches. 

This Committee consisted of Eld. Josiah Knight, Eld. 

Emrick, and Brothers Elias Smith, John Van 

Mater and Jesse Demint. These were all of them men 
widely known for their candor and sound judgment. 
They all lived remote from Yellow Springs, were in no 



REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 215 

way connected with its local affairs, and were of minds 
unbiased and disinterested. Elder Emrick did not meet 
with the Committee, but the other four met on the 8th 
day of March, and gave three days and a half to a " pa- 
tient and impartial investigation of the whole matter." 
Mr. Allen's party (that of the Second Church), employed a 
lawyer to assist them in the trial, and everything pos- 
sible was done to substantiate there, what Mr. Allen had 
alleged in his book. Numbers of that party had a copy 
of his book in their hands during the meetings, though 
not one was seen with a Bible. 

The report of that Committee, as given to the public 
through the columns of the Gospel Herald, is a complete 
refutation of all the principal points which Mr. Allen 
makes in his so-called history. It triumphantly acquits 
the First Church and its friends of the charges which he 
prefers; and not only shows his book to be utterly false, 
but also shows his party, of which he is the moving spir- 
it, to be guilty of " deep laid plans " and fraudulent 
transactions, such as no man of business could commit and 
be tolerated for a moment as an honest man. 

And here let us call attention to the fact that every 
examination of affairs belongipg to the College has re- 
sulted in the same way. Our enemies work by slander- 
ing us abroad and where we can not meet them ; but on 
every investigation, whether by committees or individual 
men, we have been uniformly and triumphantly sustained. 
And the friends of Antioch College, and of the First 
Christian Church, stand ready at any time, and all times, 
to meet any impartial man of intelligence, or any com- 
mittee impartially appointed, to confront and be con- 
fronted by their accusers ; to have a full and fair inves- 
tigation of facts on any point wherein they are accused, 
and to abide the verdict. Can the world ask more ? 



216 REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 

We give the report entire. 

" Committee's Report. 

" The Committee appointed by the Miami Christian 
Conference at its last session to investigate the cause of 
trouble in the two Christian Churches at Yellow Springs, 
Greene County, Ohio, would respectfully submit the fol- 
lowing 

"Report. 

" Pursuant to appointment, your Committee met at 
Yellow Springs, Feb. 8, 1859, and on being informed 
that the parties were not ready for the investigation of 
the affair, your Committee recommended the parties to 
make an effort to settle the whole affair by mutual con- 
sultation. This proved a failure, and the 8th of March 
was appointed for the investigation to take place, at 
which time, the Committee met the parties in the base- 
ment of the Christian Meeting-house in Yellow Springs, 
and the following is the result of three-and-a-half days 
of patient and impartial investigation of the whole 
matter. 

"Your Committee believe that they have entered upon, 
and pursued the duties of their appointment with un- 
prejudiced minds, and be assured that they have not at- 
tended to their duty in a careless, or indifferent manner, 
for scarcely could a case involve greater responsibility, 
even were life and death pending. The dearest interests 
of the Christian cause, not only at Yellow Springs, and 
in the Miami Conference, but the entire Christian Church, 
east, west, north and south, are involved. In making 
their report, the Committee have studiously avoided per- 



REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 217 

sonalities, thinking if names should hereafter be called 
for, they could be furnished at some future time better 
than in connection with this report. 

" The following specifications were presented by the 
First Church against the Second Church. 

" First : — ' That an attempt, unwarranted by any usage, 
schismatic and contrary to the spirit of the New Testa- 
ment, was made to dissolve the First Christian Church in 
Yellow Springs, by persons who immediately after said 
attempt, became members of said Second Church, and 
who, with others in the interest of said Second Church, 
were then conspiring for the destruction of said First 
Church, and which attempt was accompanied by a series 
of acts designed to accomplish an unlawful end by unlaw- 
ful means.' 

Second: — "That the records of the said First Christian 
Church, though lawfully demanded, were, and still are, 
unlawfully detained by a person or persons who were 
members of said Second Church, or were co-operating to 
promote its interests." 

Third : — "That in furtherance of their purpose of 
dispersing and breaking up said First Church, the prop- 
erty which had been long used, and was supposed to be. 
long to the same, was unwarrantably and clandestinely 
disposed of for the benefit of the Second Church, not- 
withstanding terms far more favorable were offered for 
the same in behalf of the First Church. 

Fourth: — "That said Second Church locked the child- 
ren of the Sunday School, belonging to the First Church, 
out of the building, where they had always rightfully 
been accustomed to meet, locking their books and other 
property in, and retained the same, and still retain the 
same, against law and justice, and that they afterwards 
19 



218 REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 

repelled all mediation and attempts toward reconcile- 
ment." 

Fifth: — "That said Second Church have received and 
still retain in their fellowship, members who menace 
violence against peaceable and unoffending citizens, walk 
disorderly and with profane life and conversation." 

In reference to the first and third specifications, (as they 
are intimately connected,) it was clearly shown in evi- 
dence that such an attempt was made by persons who 
soon became members of the Second Church. 

It was further proved to the satisfaction of the Com- 
mittee, that a deep laid plan had been matured, to organ- 
ize a new church, to whom the First Church property 
might be deeded, then to dissolve the First Church, and 
as many go over to the Second Church as would comply 
with their measures; but a large number must necessa- 
rily remain in the First Church, to convey the Church 
property to the new organization. The new church was 
secretly organized, January 22d, 1858. 

The next day, Jan. 23d, at a public meeting held for 
the purpose of raising money to pay off the debt on the 
house, a resolution which was passed at a previous meet- 
ing for the same purpose, was recsinded,and a resolution 
passed to sell the house to the best advantage, and at as 
early a day as practicable, with the understanding that when 
it should be sold, the Church should have an opportunity 
to purchase it, provided they would pay as much as any 
other party ; but instead of this understanding being 
carried out, on the evening of the same day (Jan. 23d, 
1858,) the deed was made out, signed, sealed and deliv- 
ered. 

Five days later, at an adjourned meeting, the Trustees 



REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 219 

reported progress in the sale of the house, when in fact 
the property had already been conveyed. 

About this time, the friends of the Second Church 
party applied to the court at Xenia, for an order to sell 
the house, but failing to obtain said order, in conse- 
quence of objections made by the First Church, and to 
avoid a reversionary interest in said property, it became 
necessary to dissolve the First Church. 

Accordingly, on the 9th of Feb., 1858, an attempt was 
made to dissolve the First Church. Promptitude was en- 
joined by the leaders, upon those who were to act in the 
affair. In order to enlist a larger numbar to embark in 
the enterprise, they were secretly told that an effort was 
to be made to disband the Church, and that such an 
event would produce a happier state of things at Yellow 
Springs. Thus prompted, all were ready at an early mo- 
ment, to organize and proceed to business. 

No public notice had been given of an intention to 
disorganize the Church, yet in the midst of remonstrances 
against such proceedings, it was declared by the Chair- 
man to be dissolved. 

"Now it is the opinion of your Committee, that a church 
may dissolve itself by a vote where there is no objection, 
but if a small minority is opposed to the measure, it 
cannot legally be dissolved. If a portion of a family 
become dissatisfied with a house they live in, they are at 
liberty to go out, and leave it, but have no right to set it 
on fire, or tear it down, and deprive the other members of 
a home ; so those who were dissatisfied with the Church, 
had an undoubted right to withdraw peaceably, and leave 
the other members to themselves. If such a course to 
disband a church was tolerated and should gain prece- 
dence, no church upon earth would be safe. 

" They would be liable to have their rights taken from 



220 REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 

them at any time. Your Committee do not wish to be 
understood that all those who compose the Second Church 
intended to be factious or schismatic, but being influ- 
enced by the leader or leaders were led into a very unjus- 
tifiable course. 

" The charges contained in the second specification, 
your Committee find, from the evidence, fully sustained, 
and therefore, in their opinion the records rightfully be- 
long to the First Church. 

" The charges contained in the fourth specification, 
your Committee find true, from the evidence adduced. 

"In reference to the charges contained in the fifth 
specification, your Committee find from the evidence that 
some two members of the Second Church had, when un- 
duly excited, used profane language, and that one of 
them had on one occasion, when very much excited, as- 
sumed a menancing attitude towards some member or 
members of the Eirst Church, but it is the opinion of 
your Committee that this is not the general character of 
those members. Your Committee would further state 
that from the evidence, they believe that the character of 
the members of the Second Church is generally good, 

Defense. 

"In justice to the Second Church, your Committee will 
now state the grounds of their defense. They claimed 
in justification of their course, that a heavy debt was 
hanging over the Church property, and that plan after 
plan had been proposed by which to raise the money to 
pay said debt, and that all had failed, and were likely 
Still to fail, with the exception of the plan to sell or rent 
the pews. To this plan, however, the Second Church 
party took exception, on the ground thai it disfranchised, 



REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 221 

at least a portion of the Church members ; first, in the 
case of poor members, who were unable to own or rent a 
pew, and second, in case of two or more members belong- 
ing to one family and occupying the same pew, only one 
of those members would be allowed to vote in electing a 
Pastor. They also objected to the whole congregation 
voting in the election of Pastor. They had no objec- 
tion to renting the pews annually to raise money to pay 
the Pastor's salary, but could not submit to what they 
were pleased to call tyranny. They claimed that these 
were conflicting elements in the Church that could not 
be harmonized. The above objections or defense may 
palliate in some instances, but cannot, in the opinion of 
your Committee, justify the course pursued by the Second 
Church. In reference to the election of Pastor, or in 
transacting the business of the Church, your Committee 
do not wish to dictate, but give it as their opinion, that 
church members only, should be allowed to vote. In the 
opinion of your Committee, there is not difference enough 
in the elements incorporated in the two Churches at Yel- 
low Springs, to justify the existence of more than one 
Church. We would, therefore, respectfully recommend 
that the two parties respectively, yield those points of 
difference which exist between them, and unite in one 
Church. In conclusion, permit us to say to you, (Breth- 
ren at Yellow Springs) for the sake of your own enjoy- 
ment — for the sake of peace at Yellow Springs, and for 
the sake of our holy religion and its Divine Author, we 
" exhort you to attend to that which makes for peace 
whereby one may edify another." 

All of which is respectfully submitted. 

Josiah Knight, 
Elias Smith, 
Jesse Demint, 
John Van Mater. 



222 REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 

We would be glad to give a full synopsis of the testi- 
money on which this report is based, and which goes to 
show, in the light of an impartial investigation, the char- 
acter of the transactions referred to, and especially of the 
man who conceived the plan and engineered it through, 
but circumstances forbid. We shall state some of the 
evidence, and state a few of the points proved, and 
leave it. And first we introduce the testimony of Elder 
James Maple. 

This was presented to the Committee in an affidavit 
from, Br. Maple, and was read to them, and put on file 
among their papers; but when they came to look for it 
again, it could not be found, and they never saw it 
again ! 

Who took it? We hope nobody took it intention- 
ally. But the facts named in the second and fourth 
specifications give good ground for suspicion. 

But we have obtained from Br. Maple a re-statement 
of the leading points given in his affidavit. He says : 

"Professor W. H. Doherty informed me of the object 
that the men engaged in organizing the Second Church 
at Yellow Springs, had in view. In a letter dated Janu- 
ary 22d, 1858, he says: 'The first indispensable step is 
to exclude the odious clique now dominant, from all 
rule here, and to fit a clean and plain denominational 
basis of action.' In a letter dated Jan. 28th, 1858, he 
says: 'The vile, lying, and greedy clique* that have 
seized this place, must be sent home first, and perhaps 
Allen's plan may be carried out. For God's sake beware 



* Compare this language with that of Mr. Doherty's article of 
Aug. 13th, 1857, which Mr. Allen falsely attributes to Maple, and 
constantly throws in his face. Are such men true "representatives 
of the Christian denomination ? 



REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 223 

of treachery and deceit.'' The italics are Mr. Doherty's ; 
lie is speaking in the above quotations of Messrs. Mann, 
Craig, Weston, and the teachers then in the College. 

" Mr. I. W. Allen said that the Church was organized 
privately, at the house of Elder D. F. Ladley; that the 
organization was composed of persons who were not 
members of the First Church ; that this was necessary, 
in order to get possession of the Chapel ; that if any 
who were members of the First Church went into the 
organization, the law would recognize them as schismat- 
ics, and then they could not get legal possession of the 
Chapel; that after they got the Chapel in their posses- 
sion, then all that they wanted of the First Church 
would join them." 

Mr. Maple testified also, that Mr. Allen told him that 
he worked day and night for two weeks, to accomplish 
what was done in organizing the Second Church, and 
getting possession of the property. He revealed to him 
that the object was to throw those who were connected 
with the College out of any connection with a Christian 
Church ; to repudiate them publicly, by vote of the 
Second Church, and prevent the " Stafford [N. Y.] Con- 
vention," to be held in March, from concurring with 
measures already instituted in Ohio, for the redemption 
of the # College. 

Mr. Doherty expressed to him afterward that he 
thought this one of the most important steps ever taken 
in the Christian denomination. 

That such was the object of the movement, was learned 
in town by Mr. Fessenden, and communicated by him to 
Mr. Mann, Mr. Fay and Mr. Weston, several days before, 
but they would not credit the report. The suspicion 
was soon confirmed by letters from Mr. Maple ; but the 



224 REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 

thing seemed to be so atrocious, that they could not 
believe it, till facts compelled them. The awaking of 
these suspicions was the cause of the change in Mr. 
Fay's movements, which Mr. Allen denounces, pages 
42—43. 

This shows that the " unlawful end" was to defeat the 
measures then in operation, to secure the College to the 
denomination, to have Mr. Mann and the existing 
Faculty deposed; and, evidently, to institute new meas- 
ures to secure the College to Mr. I. W. Allen, to break 
down the only Christian Church then existing in the 
place, to privately organize a new Church; to get clan- 
destine possession of the property, and to denounce, 
repudiate, and " send home" ' Messrs. Mann, Craig, 
Weston, Fay, and the teachers then in the College." 

All this was substantiated by abundance of corrobo- 
rative proof, through an examination of three days, of 
three long sessions each; and substantiated as having 
been planned and urged through by Mr. Allen. 

It was shown before the Committee that the plan for 
raising money by subscription was favored by persons 
now belonging to both parties, and one of the members 
of the (now) First Church, (Elder Richardson,) circula- 
ted the subscription, until he found that his expressed 
willingness to go with Mr. Allen & Co., "as far as truth 
and righteousness was concerned, and no farther," did 
not suit them. 

That it was Mr. Allen who incorporated the "deep-laid 
plans" upon the original movement. 

That it was he who planned, advised, and carried 
through, by active electioneering, the schismatic meas- 
ures of his party in the First Church. 

That it was between Mr. Allen and others on the one 



REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 225 

part, and the Trustees (who afterward joined the Second 
Church,) on the other part; that a provisional bargain 
was made to make over property to a new Church for a 
subscription, worth not more than $3,000 in cash, 
which they never offered to the First Church for less 
than $4,000. 

That this provisional agreement was made before the 
Church had voted to rescind the former resolution, 
(agreeing to pay $4,000,) and to give permission to sell. 

That when these votes were passed, Mr. Allen was in 
waiting at a house near by, and that the deeds, so hastily 
and clandestinely executed, were made out in his own 
handwriting. 

That he counselled the dissolution of the First Church, 
and tried to get carriages to bring members in to vote 
for it. 

That he was active in the measures by which the 
Church Records, decided by the above report to belong 
rightfully to the First Church, were kept out of their 
hands. 

That on the next Sunday after the Sunday School was 
shut out of the Chapel, another School was organized, 
(by his effort and advice,) which took possession of the 
Library, Maps, &c, belonging to the excluded School, 
and retains them to this day. 

Mr. Allen, in the Gospel Herald a few weeks after, 
and the letter of the Second Church to the Conference, 
reported this Library, Maps, &c, as belonging to the 
new Sunday School. 

f A passing notice of a few of the false statements in 
this part of his book, will close what we have to say. i 

On p. 19, Mr. Allen says that Elder Craig's dedication 
sermon was " ill chosen," "and deeply wounded the feel- 
20 



226 REJOINDER CHURCH HISTORY. 

ings of some." On the day that sermon was delivered 
Mr. Allen wrote to Mr, Maple eulogizing it in the high- 
est terms. 

On p. 27, he says of Mr. Fay, " If he starts for Macki- 
nac to meet Mr. Mann." — Mr. Fay did not start for Mack- 
inac ; was never there ; did not see Mr. Mann nor have 
a letter from him while he was absent • and did not ex- 
pect to ! 

On page 32, in a pretended copy of a plan, he publish- 
es the following : 

"4th. That the pastor be at all times a minister of 
good standing in the Christian community." 

" The reader will notice that the word ' church' is stu- 
diously avoided." 

The only record of this : plan' — the one from which Mr. 
Allen obtained his data — was seen at the time of the 
Committee's investigation. It is the original draft in 
the hand-writing of Judge Mills. In that paper stands 
plainly the word " church" and not " community." It was 
read " church," and so acted upon at the church meeting ; 
when Mr. Allen was present. It was originally written 
" community," but that word was erased and " church " 
plainly substituted before it was reported. The paper 
which was, or ought to have been, before Mr. Allen's 
eyes shows for itself. "Falsifying records" is easy work 
for him. 

. His assertion, on p. 35, " J. B. Weston opposed the 
amendment and favored the article," can be proved false 
by unimpeachable witnesses who were present. 
^ The language imputed to Mr. Weston, on p. 58, as 
addressed to Mr. Jewell, is misrepresented as to time, 
words and intention. It was spoken before the vote was 
taken, in relation to the men who "conceived" the plot 



REJOINDER — CHURCH HISTORY. 227 

and not of those who " took part" in it. It had, at the 
time, only a suspected personal allusion. In the light of 
subsequent developments as to who " conceived " the plan 
of dissolving the Church, for what purpose and by what 
means, the public may judge if the remark was not vast- 
ly more true than ivise. 

Mr. Weston's positions in respect to the dissolution of 
the Church, taken, as Mr. Allen says, under "excite- 
ment," have been approved in cool deliberation by the 
Conference and its Committee. 

The First Christian Church still lives, and holds the 
fellowship of the Conference, (which the Second Church 
has not yet received,) and designs, with the blessing of 
God to maintain the principles of the New Testament 
and of the Church Denomination. 

Yellow Springs, 0., June, 1859. 



